India’s latest Test debutant Akash Deep had what would have been his maiden Test wicket denied after he was found to have overstepped on the first morning of the fourth India vs England Test match in Ranchi.

The Bengal right-arm seamer was handed his debut cap ahead of the fourth Test in Ranchi, becoming the fourth Indian player to make his Test debut in the series. Jasprit Bumrah was rested after India’s Rajkot win, and Deep replaced him in the XI.

He started sharply on a lively surface at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, beating the bat of Ben Duckett in his first over. For his second over, Deep had Zak Crawley on strike. The Bengal seamer had the right-hander in all sorts of trouble, beating him twice in the first three balls before going through his defences and hitting the stumps on the fifth.

The Indian side celebrated the first breakthrough and Deep celebrated his maiden Test wicket. The joy, however, was to be short lived as the TV umpire signalled a no ball moments after. Deep had overstepped, robbing himself of an early wicket.

Akash Deep bowled a no-ball while dismissing Zak Crawley with a peach 🥲#AkashDeep #India #INDvsENG #Tests #Cricket pic.twitter.com/pjrVW0j0po

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) February 23, 2024

Three overs after surviving the dismissal off Deep, Crawley launched an all-out attack on Mohammed Siraj, hitting him for three fours and a massive six over mid-wicket.

Deep finally got his reward in his fifth over of the opening spell, getting Duckett to nick one behind to the wicketkeeper before pinning Ollie Pope lbw on review. He then had Crawley, reprieved earlier, in similar fashion to before, but this time he had not overstepped.

The 27-year-old Deep has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket for the last few years and averages 23.58 from 30 first-class matches before his Test debut. He also impressed in India A’s recent 2-0 series win over England Lions, claiming 11 wickets at 18.72 in the series.

He was the only change India made to their XI from the winning combination that played in Rajkot. England, on the other hand, made two changes which they announced a day before the game, sticking to their tradition. Rehan Ahmed, who has gone home citing personal reasons, made way for off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, while Ollie Robinson replaced Mark Wood.

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