Enter Akash Deep: Seam-tight, Shami-lite

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Akash Deep struck a pose, ball in one hand, stump in the other, after his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. It was a moment reminiscent of Mohammed Shami's famous image from the Visakhapatnam Test in 2019. But while Shami's burst was a classic example of swing bowling, Akash's was a demonstration of seam-tight bowling.

Akash's first ten-for in a match and the first time he was the centrepiece of a famous Indian victory. His debut in England was a success, taking 10 for 187 and looking utterly at home on a flat deck. England's pace attack struggled, managing only 9 for 593 across both innings.

Akash's success was due in part to his ability to attack the stumps, not just the outside edge. He's known for this style of bowling in his first-class career in India and it served him well in Birmingham. The catching midwickets allowed him to pitch the ball outside off stump and seam it back in to the right-hander.

Like Shami, Akash gets a remarkable number of batters bowled in India. Seven of his ten Test wickets at home have crashed into the stumps. His domestic numbers tell the story: 42 of his first 118 first-class wickets were bowled, a staggering 35%.

Akash's threat is different from Shoaib Akhtar's, who was known for his fast, full, reverse-swinging thunderbolts. Akash hits the stumps from awkward lengths, making it difficult for batters to adjust. His natural skid allows him to hit the stumps from that zone, without always needing to go full.

The difference between Akash and other bowlers is that he bowls a higher percentage of balls that hit the stumps from a wider set of lengths and angles. Once he figured out his modus operandi, he slipped into "the zone", a state of complete focus and absorption.

At Edgbaston, Akash Deep appeared to vanish into that state, bowling when he wasn't bowling, and giving India a new memory stitched into the story of their fast-bowling evolution. A Shami-lite for the next phase.