Nightwatchman Akash Deep stole the limelight after he slammed his maiden Test fifty on Day 3 of the fifth Test against England at the Oval in London on Saturday.

After being sent to bat at No.4 as a nightwatchman at the fag end of the final sesssion on Day 2, Akash Deep showcased his batting credentials as he notched up his first fifty in international cricket and his second half-century in First-Class cricket.

Akash Deep was later dismissed for an impressive 66 off 94 balls, laced with 12 fours. Meanwhile, the Lucknow Super Giants star recorded the second-highest score by an Indian nightwatchman in Test cricket history. The record for the highest score by an Indian nightwatchman currently belongs to former LSG cricketer Amit Mishra, who scored 84 against England at the same venue in 2011.

With his maiden Test fifty, Akash Deep also became the 12th player with a 10-wicket haul and a half-century on an England tour. The 28-year-old joined an elite list featuring cricket legends such as Hugh Trumble, Shane Warne, Imran Khan, Keith Miller and Richard Hadlee.

Furthermore, Akash Deep became the fourth Indian to score a Test fifty at No.4 in England this century. Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill are the other three Indians to achieve the feat.

During his stay at the crease for India in the second innings, Akash Deep forged an 107-run partnership with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for the third wicket to give the visitors the upper-hand in the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Interestingly, this was the 18th century-run stand in the ongoing five-match Test series, setting a record for the most hundred partnerships in the 21st century, eclipsing 17 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2003-04.

After resuming the day at 75/2, India were 189/3 at lunch, leading England by 166 runs in the fifth and final Test. Captain Shubman Gill and Jaiswal were at the crease for India.

Earlier, India posted 224 in their first innings, before they bounced back to bowl England out for 247.

Image Courtesy: BCCI