India fast bowler Akash Deep has spoken about the bat he was given by Virat Kohli as a gift. Akash had shared a picture of the willow given by the veteran India batter. India National Cricket Team pacer said that he didn’t ask for the bat, but Virat gifted his willow.

The pacer said that the former captain must have been impressed with his batting skills, and the speedster vowed to never use Virat’s bat and keep it as a souvenir forever.

“Virat bhaiya himself gifted me his bat. He must have liked my batting skills. He came to me and asked if I wanted his bat. Who would say no if Virat is offering something? He is a legend. He asked me about the type of bat I use while batting.

“I just smiled as I didn’t have words. He then gave me his bat. I will never play with that bat as it is a big gift from Virat Bhaiya, and I will keep it as a souvenir on the wall of my room.  I also took his autograph on the bat,” Akash Deep told Times of India.

Akash dismissed Zakir Hasan and Mominul Haque on consecutive deliveries to put Bangladesh on the back foot in the first innings of the opening Test.

Playing for India A in the Duleep Trophy 2024, he took nine wickets against India B at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He registered figures of 9/116 across two innings and scored 43 runs in the second innings.