Akash Deep can bat—he proved that when he scored 31 runs at Brisbane when he helped India avoid a follow-on against Australia. However, Akash got his maiden Test half-century at the Oval after he was sent as a night watchman on Day 2. He was seen celebrating quite aggressively, chest thumping, and those 66 runs he scored became decisive for India's win against England. When he was asked about the innings, Akash Deep revealed that his main plan was to survive and tire the bowlers. Akash said that he already was suffering from athigh niggle, but he had to run anyhow, because India played three pacers. With Chris Woakes injured, England had Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton and Gus Atkinson bowling. Akash read that the situation was no different from India's. After India lost KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan quickly, India send him as the night watchman. Speaking to News18, Akash Deep added, "Then I was sent out as a night-watchman. At that point, my mindset was clear: ‘I must not get out’. I had to survive. Because England too only had three bowlers, and if we managed to frustrate them by batting longer, their patience would be tested. Once bowlers lose their patience for an hour or two, it becomes difficult for them to bowl with the same discipline. So that was my thinking." He further stated, "The next morning, when I went out to bat, I stuck to that same mindset. Ball by ball, I kept telling myself: play this one, then play the next one. I wasn’t even looking at the runs. But as I survived ball after ball, the runs started adding up. And that’s how that fifty came—it was built purely on patience and focus." Read also: Akash Deep Defends Bumrah, Reflects on England Tour Performances Would India win if it was not a rain delay? Akash Deep is positive, believing that India had an upper hand. Before the rain interrupted day 4, England Jamie Overton and Jamie Smith were batting. England had 6 wickets in hand and some 34 runs left to chase. Akash said, "If it hadn’t rained on Day 4, the result would still have been the same as what eventually happened on Day 5. Because by that evening, the momentum had already shifted towards us. England were under pressure, struggling with problems. In Test cricket, momentum keeps swinging – sometimes it’s with you, sometimes with the opposition. But that evening, especially the last half-hour session, which in England is always the toughest for batting, we had clearly won that battle." India won the match by a whisker of 6 runs. In the second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 114 runs, along with Akash Deep, who had the second-highest score for India in the innings. Ravindra Jadeja later scored 53 and Washington Sundar later quick-fired another 53 runs. With the ball, Akash Deep took 2 wickets, 1 in each innings.