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'He impressed me the most. I was surprised with his pace': RCB captain Faf reserves high praise for India domestic star
The Royal Challengers Bangalore captain reserved special praise for the 25-year-old Indian domestic player.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will begin their campaign in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on March 27. The game marks the beginning of a new era for the RCB, as the side will be led by South Africa's Faf du Plessis in the tournament. The 37-year-old was appointed as the new skipper of the Royal Challengers last month and succeeded Virat Kohli in the role.
Earlier this week, the RCB squad took part in an intra-squad match that saw Faf, Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel among major first-teamers in action. Following the game, the RCB captain lauded the players and reserved special praise for 25-year-old Indian youngster Akash Deep.
“DK (Dinesh Karthik) was really good but I was impressed the most with Akash Deep. He was excellent with the new ball, bowled very good hard lengths. I was surprised by his pace as well. It is very pleasing for us to have young fast bowlers stepping up,” said du Plessis.
The Indian youngster was bought on his base price of INR 20 lakh by the RCB in the mega auction last month. A right-arm pacer, Akash Deep represents Bengal in India's domestic circuit and had also been a part of the Royal Challengers squad in the previous season.
Harshal Patel and Mike Hesson were also positive of the side's approach in the intra-squad game.
“Very clinical skills on show. I'm very happy with the way things panned out. We keep the intensity going and slowly get into the tournament,” Harshal said.
“It was a good excercise. Fielding was a decent standard but we can improve the intensity. Overall, a very valuable exercise and a really good squad day,” Hesson noted about the game.
The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League begins on March 26, with Ravindra Jadeja's Chennai Super Kings taking on the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai.
