"Tumko khud pata nahi tum kya kar sakte ho…"- Akash Deep reveals Gautam Gambhir’s inspiring words for him during ENG vs IND series

Akash Deep picked 13 wickets and slammed a half-century across three tests against England.

Indian pacer Akash Deep has heaped praises on head coach Gautam Gambhir. The right-arm seamer revealed how the head coach backed him during the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 between India and England.

Akash Deep, who played three matches during the England tour, picked 13 wickets at an average of 36.46. He grabbed a lot of limelight during India’s victories at Edgbaston and The Oval. The Indian seamer clinched a 10-wicket haul in the second test and slammed a crucial half-century in the second innings of The Oval test.

Notably, Akash equalled Chetan Sharma’s bowling record- becoming the second Indian bowler to grab 10 wickets in a test match in England. The five-match test series ended in a 2-2 draw, and coach Gautam Gambhir has earned a lot of appreciation for guiding the young Indian team to an incredible show against England.

Akash Deep reveals how Gautam Gambhir backed him during England series

During an interview with PTI, Akash revealed that Gambhir always motivates players and backs them. He also recalled Gambhir’s inspiring words after he scored a 66-run knock in The Oval test.

“Tumko khud pata nahi tum kya kar sakte ho (You aren’t aware of your capabilities). ‘See, I was telling you, you can do it. You have to play with this dedication always,” he said.

“Gautam bhai is a very passionate coach. He always motivates us. He believes in me more than I believe in myself, both in my batting and bowling,” he added.

The 28-year-old seamer also lauded Shubman Gill, terming him a supportive captain who understands his players.

“With Shubman as captain, I didn’t feel like I was playing for the first time. He’s very supportive. When a captain supports you and understands things well, especially when you are down, it makes a big difference”, he said.

“I have played Duleep Trophy under his captaincy last year so it wasn’t the first time. He is a cool customer with a lot of ideas and when someone is calm, it helps in taking good on-field decisions,” Akash further added.

Gill was appointed as the test skipper ahead of India’s tour of England 2025 and not many backed him to do good, especially with a lot of youngsters in the squad. However, he showed brilliant leadership skills to power India to a 2-2 draw.

The right-handed batsman also led from the front with the bat, smacking 754 runs in 10 innings with four centuries. He, along with Harry Brook, won Player of the Series awards.

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