The 27-year-old Indian fast bowler Akash Deep made his Indian Cricket Team’s Test debut against England in the fourth Test match on Friday. It was a moment the Indian cricketer from Bihar would cherish for his entire life and why not?
Ahead of the third Test, Akash was handed his Test cap, and his mother, who was standing on the sidelines, watched the entire incident unfold with great pride. Akash’s journey serves as a beacon of hope, illuminating the path for those who dare to dream.
It’s about a boy who dared to dream beyond the confines of reality.
Akash Deep Early Life:
The Indian fast bowler was born on 15th December 1996 in Bihar’s Rohtas district. His father was a physical education tutor in a government school and had the desire to make his son pursue his career in a government job.
However, Akash’s true passion lay in Cricket and with the support of his mother, he would go out and chase his dream.
“His father always wished for him to become a government officer, but cricket was his true passion, and I was his partner in crime. I would secretly send him to play cricket and help him pursue his dream,” the proud mother told PTI as she watched her son make a sensational debut.
“During that time, if someone heard that your son was playing cricket, they would say ‘yeh toh awara mawwali hi Banega (he is spoilt and will become a rogue). But we had faith in him and didn’t let him give up despite losing my malik (husband) and beta (son) in six months.”
Akash Deep fought in his rough days to reach his dream
Akash Deep’s father disapproved of his son wanting to become a cricketer. He didn’t want him to chase the big dream. However, an adamant dreamer moved to his uncle’s place in Durgapur in 2010, who was willing to help him pursue his career in the sport.
As Akash was climbing up the ladder, he was hit with a massive tragedy. His father suffered a paralytic attack and passed away in 2015. He was bedridden for five years after retirement and took his last breath in February 2015.
In October of the same year, Akash Deep’s elder brother suffered from an illness and died on the way to the hospital, leaving behind his wife and two daughters. Akash’s family’s only source of income at that time was his father’s monthly pension. He made the hard decision to give up on his game and find a job for a stable income.
He involved himself in the sand-selling business by renting dumpers near the Sone River at the Bihar-Jharkhand border. However, he wasn’t happy as the fire was still burning inside of him.
He needed someone to help him out to keep his cricketing dream alive. His cousin, Baibhaw, then came into the picture as he helped Akash get access to playing leather ball cricket.
“I always felt he was god-gifted and I took him to Durgapur where we got his passport made and he went on to play a tournament in Dubai,” Baibhaw recalled.
Akash then went to Kolkata in a bid to progress his cricket career. He stayed in a rented flat in Kestopur. He was rejected by three clubs before UCC allowed him to play but without any pay.
When did AkashDeep get his Big-break?
The Indian pacer reached his dream when UCC allowed him to play but without any remuneration. Akashdeep made his T20 debut for Bengal in the 2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in March 2019. He made his Lis tA debut in the same year in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with the Bengal team. He has played 11 first-class cricket matches till now and he has taken 45 wickets. Akashdeep was also featured in Ranji Trophy 2021. But his big break came when Royal Challengers Bangalore, eventually, roped in his services in the 2022 IPL auction.
AkashDeep International Debut
Akashdeep reserved a spot in the Indian team when he received a call-up in India’s Test squad for the fourth Test. Akashdeep walked in as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement & he got the good news when he was playing for Bengal in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024.
Right in his debut match, Akashdeep turned heads around by wreaking havoc in the first four overs of the first day of the Test match. The right-arm fast bowler claimed the wickets of Zack Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Ollie Pope and ended the day with the figures of 3 for 70 in 17 overs. His figures helped India to get an edge over England.
Coming to the fixture India has begun their second innings with Rohit Sharma (24 off 27) & Yashasvi Jaiswal ( 16 off 21) batting on the field. The duo managed to end Day 3 without losing any wickets. The duo will resume Day 4 to accelerate India’s innings. Earlier R Ashwin’s five-wicket haul accompanied by Kuldeep’s four wickets helped India to wrap England’s innings at 145 runs. England who managed to end their first innings at 356 runs failed to take advantage of 46 runs lead as they struggled to surpass even 150 runs score in the second innings.
England will bounce back & take advantage of the extra bounce & pace produced by the pitch or India will walk away with the fixture? The question will be answered as the action shifts to Day 5.
Also read, “3-2 Sounds Nice” Backfires as England Sinks Low in Ranchi
