'Virat Bhaiya Ne Khud Se Diya Tha': Akash Deep Reveals Why He'll Never Play With Bat Gifted By Kohli

Akash Deep made his Test debut for India against England in Ranchi on February 23, 2024, but didn’t get a chance to share dressing room with Virat Kohli, who was not available for selection due to personal reasons. Kohli, who became father of a baby boy in February, missed the entire five-match Test series against England and made a comeback to competitive cricket in the IPL 2024 for RCB.

After missing out on a chance to play with Kohli for India in February, Akash got his wish fulfilled last week when he featured in the first Test of the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai. And ahead of the first Test between India and Bangladesh at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Akash received a special gift from Kohli.

The Indian cricketer shared a picture of the bat gifted to him by the 35-year-old star batter. And now, after the conclusion of the series opener, which India won by 280 runs on Sunday, Akash Deep has revealed the story behind getting a bat from Kohli and also explained why he will never play with that bat.

“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.‘ 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,” Akash was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Akash, who was preferred over the likes of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yash Dayal in India’s playing XI, is a decent batter. He scored 17 runs in the first innings of the Chennai Test, and before that, in the Duleep Trophy 2024 match played against India B, he hammered 43 runs from just 42 balls for India A with the help of three fours and four sixes.