Image: Akash Deep is getting his debut cap from captain Rohit Sharma
Akash Deep, from Bihar's Sasaram, faced family and societal pressure to abandon his cricket dreams. With a suspended cricket association and limited opportunities, his path was difficult. His father and elder brother died all within six months and Akash became the immediate breadwinner in his family. Yet, his passion for cricket persevered.
In his early career With the help of a friend, he joined a Durgapur cricket club while earning income from tennis-ball matches (approximately ₹6000 per day).
Switching from batsman to fast bowler at his coach's request, his talent caught the eye of former Bengal bowler Ranadeb Bose, leading to selection for the Bengal U-23 team.
His impressive debut in multiple formats (Twenty20, List A, first-class) culminated in an IPL contract with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and a call-up for India A against England Lions.
Akash Deep replaced the injured Shivam Mavi in India's squad for the 2022 Asian Games. In November 2023, he was included in India's ODI squad for the series against South Africa in South Africa as an injury replacement for Deepak Chahar, but he did not play in any of the matches.
In February 2024, he received his maiden test call-up for the last three Tests for the home test series against England. He received the news of his test call-up while he was busy playing the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy representing Bengal.
WWW ? Akash Deep!
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 23, 2024
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/FUbQ3Mhpq9#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/YANSwuNsG0
In 2022, RCB selected Deep in the IPL auction for a base price of Rs 20 lakh.
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