On Day 4 of the Lord’s Test between India and England, India found themselves in a tough spot. They were chasing a target of 193 runs and had already lost their third wicket at 42/3, with just 20 minutes left in the day’s play. England was clearly on top.
In a surprising move, fast bowler Akash Deep came out to bat as a nightwatchman—a player sent to protect main batsmen from batting in difficult conditions. He was still adjusting his gear when he walked in. Many were puzzled by this sudden decision, especially since star batter Rishabh Pant didn’t come out.
India still had Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Pant as proper batting options. But unfortunately, Akash Deep was dismissed just two balls before the day ended, leaving India with more pressure.
Later, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gave some insight. On his YouTube channel, he shared that Pant has a habit of avoiding batting in the final minutes of the day.
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Ashwin recalled a similar moment during a Test match in Mirpur. India was chasing around 140 runs, and Pant told head coach Rahul Dravid, “Main nahi ja raha batting karne” (I’m not going to bat now), even though there was 30-40 minutes of play left. That day, the team had to send Axar Patel and Jaydev Unadkat instead.
Ashwin explained, “Pant doesn’t like to bat in the last 30-40 minutes. That’s why they sent Akash Deep today. It’s important to protect your top players. But if the nightwatchman gets out, it puts even more pressure on the team.”
He also mentioned another match against New Zealand, where the same thing happened. Virat Kohli got out, and Pant again wasn’t ready to bat. So Siraj was sent in, and when he got out, a regular batter had to go in anyway.
Ashwin added, “It’s always a tough call. But today, since only 20-25 minutes were left and we need 190 runs, maybe it was okay to protect Pant. Still, even 30-40 runs can make a big difference in a low target like this.”
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In the end, the decision to send Akash Deep as a nightwatchman showed the team’s plan to protect Pant and other key batters for the next day. How Pant performs could decide if India can take a 2-1 lead in the series.
