New Delhi, Sep 20 Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary heaped praise on pacer Akash Deep for his impressive bowling skills and opined that when the right-arm pacer will perform in overseas conditions, he will be standing alongside some of the great bowlers.
After an impressive Test debut against England earlier this year, Akash retained his spot in the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai, where he wreaked havoc with his pace and claimed two wickets in the same over on the second day.
"When Akash Deep came into the senior team from U23, it was clear that he had talent. He has worked very hard to turn that talent into performance and made all the sacrifices needed to achieve something significant. He’s a hardworking and mentally stable player.
"So far, he’s performed exceptionally well in Indian conditions. Imagine, when he plays in overseas conditions like Australia, England or South Africa, his performance will make him stand among some of the great bowlers," Tiwary told IANS.
Earlier, veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who top-scored with a fine 113, along with fellow all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (86) steered India's first innings to 376 after Hasan Mahmud's five-fer in the opening session on Friday.
Reflecting on the duo's surviving act, Tiwary said, "The way Ashwin and Jadeja have stabilised the innings shows how strong Team India is. We can expect some runs from Ashwin, but if you look at his stats, he had already scored four centuries before this one."
"He scored a century when the team needed it the most, and Jadeja also played a solid innings, helping the team post a respectable total. Had the top-order batsmen held their ground, the scoreboard would have reflected a score of 500-550 runs," he added.
Jasprit Bumrah and Akash rocked Bangladesh with the new ball to leave the visitors reeling at 26/3 ealry in their innings. Praising the Indian bowling attack, the former player said, "Bangladesh batters have no reason or way to avoid this challenge from India."
"Looking at the Indian bowling attack, there are so many bowlers to contend with, it's hard to escape. If Bangladesh batters manage to play the fast bowlers, then there's Jadeja and Ashwin as well. The way the game is unfolding, I feel the match will end on the fourth day and India will win," Tiwary concluded.
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