TRIUMPH AFTER TRAGEDY

India discovers yet another fast bowling exponent born off humble beginnings

- By MOHSIN KAMAL

“Why didn’t you tell Siraj to bowl outside the off stump so that you could take five wickets?”

That’s what Bengal teammate Shreevats Goswami jokingly asked Akash Deep after the first innings of the second England versus India Test.

“No, no, whatever the team requires, we have to do that,” Deep replied.

The right-arm pacer, who had featured in just seven Tests for India before, eventually claimed a five-wicket haul in the second innings, helping India seal an impressive win.

Deep stepped up in style, even earning praise from England captain Ben Stokes for “his ability to use and change his angles consistently and still be so accurate”.

“He thought only the rich could play cricket”

While Deep’s name only began resonating in cricket circles after his 10 wickets at Edgbaston, his story stretches far deeper.

Born in a small village in Bihar, one of India’s most economically challenged states, Akash grew up believing cricket was a game for the wealthy. It was his childhood friend Vaibhav Kumar who first instilled belief in him.

“Cricket wasn’t very popular in Bihar back then. In our entire district, barely 20 to 25 people were playing leather-ball cricket,” Vaibhav says.