I was shocked that he knows where I am from: Akash Deep

Bengal and Royal Challengers Bangalore seamer Akash Deep recently recalled a piece of advice he received from his Bengal teammate, Manoj Tiwary, before he joined the franchise in the recent season of the cash-rich league.

Akash was picked by the Challengers for Rs 20 Lakh at the mega-auction earlier this year.

In an exclusive interview with the Indian Express, Deep revealed that Tiwary had advised him to impress the legendary Virat Kohli in the nets as it could pave the way for his RCB debut and a chance to represent India soon.

"Manoj bhaiya said, 'Virat is India's captain, and if you manage to impress him, you will get to play in the IPL next season and might play for India as well because you have all the ingredients; to become a good fast bowler.' That was my goal, and I managed to do well in the practice matches and was later picked in the auction," Akash Deep told the Indian Express.

Deep made his IPL debut against the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai during the 15th season.

He received the coveted cap from Kohli, and the right-hander was shocked when he realised that Virat was aware of the struggles he had to endure in his cricketing journey thus far.

He also recalled the exact words Kohli said while handing him his maiden RCB cap.

"I was shocked that he knows where I am from, my journey, struggle and everything. While giving me the cap, saying, 'You deserve to be here. Just keep doing what you have done in the past. Just enjoy yourself, stick to your process.' It was a very emotional moment," he recalled.

Akash featured in 5 matches for RCB in IPL 2022, claiming five wickets at an average of 41 and an economy rate of 10.88. His best performance of 3/45 came against the Kolkata Knight Riders.