Willow that saved the follow-on: When Kohli asked Akash Deep 'Tumko bat chahiye?'

New Delhi: "Who wouldn't want it, Bhaiyya?". It was all that a shy Akash Deep could blurt out when Virat Kohli asked if he would like to own one of his bats that ultimately scripted a rare happy memory in an otherwise devastating tour of Australia for Team India.

The latest pace bowling workhorse in the Indian dressing room bowled nearly 88 overs (87.5 overs) for his five wickets across the two Tests that he played in the five-match rubber.

But it was his follow-on and eventually match-saving 31 at the Gabba that garnered attention. India, however, lost the series 1-3 to surrender the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"Yes, that was Virat bhaiya's bat, the one with MRF logo, everyone knows," Akash Deep said, breaking into a chuckle during an exclusive interaction with PTI.

When asked about the sequence of events which led to that moment, the Bengal speedster fondly said, "Bhaiyya (Kohli) ne khud mujhse pucha 'Tumko bat chahiye?' (Virat bhaiyya asked me, do you need a bat?)." "Maine bola 'Haan bhaiyya, aapka bat kaun nahi lena chahega duniya mein?' Then he presented it to me," Akash Deep recalled.

The 28-year-old admitted that it was impossible for him to be upfront with a senior player of Kohli's stature and ask for his most precious equipment.

"I have been there with bhaiyya (Kohli) for some time now (they are teammates in Royal Challengers Bengaluru). But you always have that thing at the back of your mind, whether it is the right thing to ask for a bat from someone of Virat bhaiyya's stature.

"Especially during match time, when he is focussed and in his zone, you don't want to disturb him but bhaiyya, on his own, gave me the bat," he was a trifle chuffed about that bit.

Asked to revisit his last-wicket stand of 47 with Jasprit Bumrah in the drawn Brisbane Test, the Sasaram-born cricketer said he was very clear with his plans.

"That day, my mindset was that I was ready to get hit and take any number of body blows but won't get out. I needed to score runs...I had to bat as long as possible. It wasn't as if (saving) follow-on was on my mind," Akash Deep explained his thought-process.

"In my mind, I knew the longer I would bat, our batters would have to bat for reduced amount of time in the second essay. That particular day, I was watching the ball well," he said.

His effort was expectedly lauded by the entire team but what made Akash Deep more happy was the reaction of Indian fans.

"...I would remember it forever. I didn't envisage that just because of that batting effort, how many millions felt relieved and happy that day.

"That evening, I got to know from social media how happy people were. The dressing room was obviously happy," he said.

If I don't get wickets, I try to contain runs

He might not have got more than five wickets but nearly 30 overs (29.5) in the first innings at the Gabba and another 26 overs in the first innings in Melbourne have earned him the workhorse tag.

Akash Deep was unlucky that crucial catches ended up being dropped off some of his lethal deliveries.

"Rohit bhaiyya had a lot of trust in me that I can take wickets anytime, 'Woh bolte hai hai ki mujhko lagta hai tum har ball pe wicket le sakte ho' (You can take wickets with every delivery)," he proudly said.

The brief given to him by the skipper and team management was simple -- he would bowl one line consistently and let the pitch and batters do the rest.

"I would be given a brief that in case I am not getting wickets, I should do the holding job at one end, slow down the game and run-flow so that things are under control," he revealed.

"My endeavour was to maintain discipline, bowl in good areas and wait for the batter to make a mistake...doesn't matter if the ball is new, semi-new or old," said Akash Deep, who has 15 wickets from seven Tests in his nascent career.

Watching world's best fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah operating at his peak at the other end was certainly a learning experience for him.

"...you can learn a lot from what he is doing and what I should be doing from the other end. There are little things that he (Bumrah) kept on telling me and it became easier for me to operate."

Labuschagne's dropped catch hurt

Dropped catches are part and parcel of cricket but Akash Deep said he found it difficult to reconcile when Marnus Labuschagne was dropped off his bowling in the lost Melbourne Test when Australia were on the mat at 91 for 6.

Labuschagne, who eventually scored a half century, had edged to slip where Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped a regulation catch.

"...no one drops catches intentionally and these things do happen but I did feel a little bad that if that catch would have been held and they could have been dismissed for 130 odd, may be we would have won in Melbourne.

"Coming into Sydney, we would have been 2-1 up and Australia would have been under pressure. I don't think that apart from India, other teams have been able to give them a decent fight consistently in recent years."

Australia series has helped me grow

He made his debut in Dharamsala but bowling on Australian tracks was a big learning curve for Akash Deep.

"Before Australia, I had played only in India and in India, fast bowlers don't have that kind of pressure as we know that we have world-class spinners in operation, who will get the opposition out," he said.

"But when you bowl for lengthy periods in overseas conditions, you tend to learn more about your own bowling, you understand how the pitch is behaving and what you need to do in specific situations. As a fast bowler, I feel that I have improved having bowled in these conditions."

Waiting for NCA's instructions to start bowling

Akash Deep was ruled out of the final Test in Sydney due to a stiff back and he is waiting for National Cricket Academy's green light to once again start bowling.

Asked how is he feeling now, he replied, "All good. My recovery is on course and since I had been playing non-stop cricket for a considerable period of time, I was advised to off-load (complete rest) for 15 days. I am following the advice of NCA and once they instruct me to start bowling, I will do so."

Want to be the best version of myself

His cricketing journey has just about started on the international stage and Akash Deep said he has been lucky to have a good support system.

Asked if he could name a few people who have made contributions in his voyage from Sasaram to MCG, he replied: "...it is very unfair to take one or two names in particular."

"My brother who took me to Durgapur, my club coaches in Kolkata, my Bengal U-23 coach and my Ranji Trophy coaches, lot of people in Bengal cricket, who kept on supporting me, so everyone has had their contribution in my growth."

What are the immediate and long-term goals he has set for himself?

"I would like to be the best version of myself and keep on adding skills as quickly as possible," he concluded.