It's rare to witness a bowler receiving harsh criticism for smiling while putting his arm around an opposing batter. However, in a hard-fought series, it is rare for a bowler to do that right away after dismissing him. India pacer Akash Deep is the bowler in question here and Ben Duckett is the batsman.
When Duckett tried to play another reverse ramp in the thirteenth over of the England innings, he was caught by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel off an outside edge. Duckett was removed by Akash Deep for the fourth time, but this time it came after the left-hander had given the Indian pacer a good deal of tap. Duckett's scorching innings of 43 off 38 balls before being removed included four fours and a six off Akash Deep.
Although Akash Deep undoubtedly had the final laugh, his actions after dismissing Duckett became a topic of discussion. Former cricketers Ricky Ponting, Michael Atherton, and Dinesh Karthik did not appreciate the Indian pacer's words of advice as he put his arm over Duckett's shoulder.
In fact, Ponting acknowledged that if Akash Deep had done something like this to him when he was playing, he wouldn't have hesitated to land a right punch.
A much needed breakthrough for IndiaAnd a cheeky send-off for Ben Duckett #SonySportsNetwork#ENGvIND#NayaIndia#DhaakadIndia#TeamIndia#ExtraaaInningspic.twitter.com/9YaTjcEYOn — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 1, 2025
"I can think of a few batsmen down the years that would take umbrage at this, and I'm looking very much in your direction. That would have been a Ponting right hook, wouldn't it?" asked sports presenter Ian Warnd in a Sky Sports Lunch break show on Day 2. "Probably yeah, probably," replied Ponting.
Thankfully, Duckett didn’t see it the way Ponting did. The England opener took Akash Deep’s fiery send-off in good spirits and walked off without a fuss.
Ponting claimed that after witnessing the offensive opener's response to being sent off, he developed a greater regard for Duckett. "Although I mean, when I saw it, I just thought they must have been mates or played against each other somewhere or together. I would like to have something like that. I mean, you don't see that every day, maybe in a local park game or not in a Test match that's been played as fiercely as this series has been played. I love the way that Ben Duckett plays his cricket. I think I like him more now to not to be able to react to that," Ponting added.
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On a thrilling second day of the fifth Test match against England at The Oval, India's slim first-innings deficit was transformed into a 52-run lead by Yashasvi Jaiswal's half-century.
Fifteen wickets were lost on Friday as bowlers maintained control on a pitch with erratic bounce. Resuming at 219-7, India were bowled out for 224 after adding just five runs in the morning. After a brilliant start that saw them reach 100 in just 14.4 overs, England fell to 247 all-out, taking a narrow 23-run lead.
After being dropped twice, Jaiswal launched a counterattack, scoring an undefeated 51 off 49 balls to put India up 75-2 before play was cut short by bad light.
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