Virat Kohli's king-sized gesture stuns Akash Deep: 'I didn't ask for the bat; he came to me…'
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Young India pacer Akash Deep shared details of a special moment with batting maestro Virat Kohli ahead of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh. Akash also played alongside Kohli in the last couple of seasons at IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The Bengal pacer, who is also a handy batter lower down the order, received a special gift from his senior teammate before the opening Test against Bangladesh. Kohli shares a good camaraderie with young players in the side and is often seen mentoring them on and off the field with his insights about the game.
The 35-year-old observed Akash's batting in the nets and decided to give him his bat.
Akash shared the story about how Virat Kohli surprised him by knocking on the door and asking him whether he needed his bat, a gesture that left him speechless.
"Virat bhaiya ne khud se bat diya tha [Virat bhaiya himself gave me the bat]. He must have observed something about my batting. I didn't ask for it; he came to me and asked, 'Bat chaiye kya tujhe?' Who wouldn’t want a bat from Virat bhaiya? He is a legend. I was very happy to hear his words and wanted that bat. He asked me what kind of bat I use while batting, and I just smiled—I didn't have words. Then he said, 'Yeh le, rakh le yeh bat.' " Akash told the Times of India.
Will never play with the bat gifted by Virat bhaiya: Akash Deep
The 27-year-old asserted that he would keep the bat as a souvenir and wouldn't play with it ever, as he also got an autograph from the batting legend himself.
"I will never play with that bat; it is a big gift from Virat bhaiya, and I will keep it as a souvenir on the wall of my room. I even got his autograph on the bat," he added.
Meanwhile, Akash had an impressive outing with the ball in the first innings against Bangladesh in Chennai, where he picked a couple of wickets on back-to-back deliveries to break the opposition back. He also played a handy 17-run knock lower down the order. He also managed to retain his place in the squad for the 2nd Test match in Kanpur.
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