India fast bowler Akash Deep scored his maiden Test fifty on Saturday (August 2), unexpectedly joining a list of elite batters.
In the fifth and final Test of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India were bowled out for 224 early on day two (August 1), before managing to pull things back with the ball and bowl England out for 247. By the end of day two, they had reached 75-2 in their second innings, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring a half-century and nightwatch Akash Deep unbeaten on four.
5th Test, England vs India
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- Ball by ball Over
If England hoped to dislodge Deep early on day three, they were quickly disabused of that notion. Batting with abandon, the India quick received a reprieve on 21, when Zak Crawley dropped a regulation slip catch.
Read more: Ben Duckett vs Akash Deep: Battle of sledges, scoops and a send-off lights up Oval Test
Deep stuck around with Jaiswal in obstinate fashion, making his way to a maiden Test half-century before going on to record his highest score in all first-class cricket. He was dismissed 10 minutes before the lunch break for 66, caught after a leading edge off Jamie Overton.
Across men's and women's Test cricket, 34 players have batted at No.4 for India in England. Only 12 have managed to score a half-century. In men's Test cricket, the only ones to do so since 1990 were Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill – until Akash Deep joined them.
Indian No.4 batters to score a Test half-century in England, full list
| Player | Innings | Hundreds | Fifties | 50+ scores |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 23 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| GR Viswanath | 13 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Virat Kohli | 32 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Shubman Gill | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Dilip Vengsarkar | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Vijay Hazare | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Shubhangi Kulkarni | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Mithali Raj | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Akash Deep | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bapu Nadkarni | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Dilip Sardesai | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Anjum Chopra | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Akash Deep also achieves rare all-round feat
Having already starred in the ongoing series with a ten-wicket haul in the second Test at Edgbaston, Deep joined another exclusive list – becoming just the fourth Indian pacer after Kapil Dev, Irfan Pathan and Jhulan Goswami to take a ten-wicket haul and score a half-century in the same Test series.
This has been achieved 41 times in Test history, and nine times in the 21st century. The last player to do so was Stuart Broad against the West Indies in 2020.
Indian pacers to score a fifty and take a ten-wicket haul in the same Test series
| Name | Opposition | Matches | 10WM | 50-plus scores | Season |
| Kapil Dev | Pakistan | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1979/80 |
| Kapil Dev | West Indies | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1983/84 |
| Irfan Pathan | Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2005 |
| Jhulan Goswami | England | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2006 |
| Akash Deep | England | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
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