'Smile says it all': Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir's priceless reactions after Akash Deep's gritty fifty
NEW DELHI: Akash Deep delivered one of the most memorable knocks of the series on Day 3 of the fifth Test at The Oval, scoring a stunning 66 off 94 balls as nightwatchman and frustrating England's attack with a gritty and stylish partnership alongside
Yashasvi Jaiswal
.
Their 107-run stand turned the tide firmly in India's favour — and the celebrations that followed were just as iconic.
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As Akash Deep brought up his maiden Test fifty with a powerful boundary, the cameras panned to the Indian dressing room. What followed was pure gold: head coach
Gautam Gambhir
and captain
Shubman Gill
beamed with joy, exchanging knowing smiles and fist bumps.
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India batter
Suryakumar Yadav
summed it up perfectly on Instagram story, sharing a screengrab of the celebration with the caption: "Proper knock.
Smile says it all."
Gambhir, often known for his stoic expressions, couldn't hide his pride as the pacer stood tall against England's seamers. Gill, too, was visibly delighted, cheering from the balcony and applauding Akash's every milestone.
WATCH:
The knock wasn't just memorable in terms of emotion — it was statistically significant too. The 107-run partnership became the 18th century stand of the series, the most ever recorded in a single Test series this century, surpassing the 17 from the 2003–04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Akash Deep's effort was the highest score by an Indian nightwatchman since Amit Mishra's 84 at The Oval in 2011.
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Though his innings ended in the 43rd over with a short ball from Jamie Overton, the damage was done — both on the scoreboard and England's morale. His knock didn't just earn India a healthy lead, it earned him a permanent place in highlight reels — made even sweeter by the wide, proud smiles of Gambhir and Gill.
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India vs England Test match
here.
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