Overview
- Akash Deep told an Aaj Tak audience that he missed a message from then‑coach Rahul Dravid confirming his Test selection because Dravid’s number was not saved on his phone.
- He said he spent about 11–12 hours anxious before realising the sender, calling Dravid to apologise and then treating the match as the result of 22–23 years of work.
- Deep made his Test debut for India in Ranchi and took three early wickets, dismissing Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley in a noted opening spell.
- Multiple outlets report that Deep underwent rehabilitation for a stress fracture at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and that a CoE source described him as fit, but those fitness and selection claims rely on limited sourcing and remain unconfirmed.
- If selected, Deep’s hit‑the‑deck style could give India an extra seam option in New Zealand’s conditions and help manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload, a development that would affect team composition and bowling plans for the series.