“The structure the BCCI has for domestic cricket is so strong that by the time you get to this level, you have already played a lot of good-quality cricket,” Akash, who has played two Tests so far, said in Kanpur. “You know what your bowling is like and what you need to do. So I don’t find anything new here. The processes we follow to get here, we just need to follow those and take those forward.”
The seniors in the Indian team also help newcomers feel at ease in a new environment. “I am very fortunate to play for India under [Rohit Sharma],” Akash said. “He keeps things so simple. I had some hesitation when I came to the Indian team, about the pressure, some confusion… but when I got to the ground, [Rohit] bhaiya made things so simple for me that I didn’t know if I was playing domestic cricket or international cricket. I don’t think in my life I could have asked for a captain who makes things so simple.”
Having been put at ease, Akash drew on all that he had learnt on his way up to international level – he had come in on the back of 30 first-class, 28 List A and 41 T20 games, where he picked up 104, 42 and 48 wickets respectively – and worked on how to improve further.
“I have played a lot of cricket in the last two years,” he said. “Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, so we are used to playing cricket for long periods. I think that as a cricketer, it’s important to understand yourself. Suddenly if we are selected for a new team, there shouldn’t be any confusion. ‘I have done this in the Ranji Trophy, what am I supposed to do here?’
“I have worked on that, worked on my strengths. What can I add to my bowling? I have spent time thinking about those things. It’s about the simple things. I don’t put pressure on myself, that I have to play in [November’s tour of ] Australia, or in any other big series. I stay in the present. I think about today, this match, which helps me keep things simple.”
Akash also opened up on a little connection that he has with the ground here. “I am from Banaras, which is not far from here. I had heard of the stadium – Green Park – when I was young, and I thought that it’s because the whole ground was green. I hadn’t seen any stadiums at the time. I remembered it after coming here, that the first stadium I had heard of was Green Park. It feels nice, that I am here, at the place I had heard of as a kid.”
