The unexpected confusion left Akash Deep wondering for hours whether he would actually get the opportunity to take the field the following day. Recalling the incident, he said, “I got a message from Rahul sir saying, ‘You are playing tomorrow.’ His number was not saved on my phone, so I ignored the message.”
It was only when Akash Deep looked at the message more carefully that he realised who had sent it and understood its significance. He immediately called Dravid and apologised, saying, “Sorry sir, your number was not saved, so I missed the message.”
Once his Test debut was confirmed, Akash Deep said he did not feel additional pressure. Instead, he viewed the opportunity as a test of everything he had done during years of struggle. Reflecting on the moment, he said, “I was happy, but I saw it as a big opportunity. I thought this was the biggest opportunity of my life. Whatever I had done in the last 22-23 years, these five days were the test of that.”
Akash Deep’s journey from Sasaram district in Bihar to the Indian team has been marked by years of struggle. In the beginning, he did not have access to a ground or basic facilities. While living in Sasaram, he had never even watched leather-ball cricket.
Akash Deep initially played as a batter, but he could not afford the expensive cost of a cricket kit. As a result, he began focusing on bowling, a decision that eventually became a turning point in his career.
After leaving Sasaram, Akash Deep moved first to Delhi and then to Kolkata, where he made an impression in club cricket. He subsequently represented Bengal in domestic cricket, where his strong performances attracted the attention of national selectors.
He eventually earned the opportunity to make his Test debut for India in the Ranchi Test, a venue that was close to his home state of Bihar. His family members, including his mother, were present at the stadium to witness the special moment as he played for the country for the first time.
For Akash Deep, the Test debut represented the culmination of a journey that had begun without basic cricket facilities in Sasaram and continued through Delhi, Kolkata and domestic cricket before reaching the Indian team.
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