“But I don’t blame them, what would you have achieved playing cricket in a place like that? You would be wasting time and not even become a cricketer, and also ignore academics. Your future would be ruined and they were worried, so were my parents.”
Deep’s father was a teacher and urged his son to complete exams that would help him secure a job and a reliable modest salary as a police constable or government official, rather than pursue a sport that had no available pathways in his home state. Deep would continue to play cricket in secret.
In 2007, Deep’s village decided to rally together to raise funds to rent a generator that would show the final of the T20 World Cup final between India and Pakistan given they had no electricity. On a tiny screen, Deep watched his country win the game and in the emotion of celebrating with his neighbours, he decided one day he would try to pursue a professional career, regardless of the odds.
It would be eight long years before Deep would finally get the opportunity to take his first tentative steps into making his cricketing dreams a reality. Despite briefly trying to move away from Bihar to seek opportunities as a professional, he was kept at home to take care of his father who had become badly ill with no medical facilities nearby.
India’s Akash Deep looks on during play on day five of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba.Credit: AP
In 2015, he lost his father due to sickness and his elder brother in an accident and decided that with nothing left for him at home in Bihar, he would finally move to Kolkata to try to make it as a cricketer, initially at club level.
After initially failing to impress any teams in the Bengal leagues, he eventually made it onto the United Club roster and started to earn a small amount of money to sustain himself.
“My father and my brother died within six months. I had nothing to lose, and the motivation was that I had to take care of the family. I would play proper leather-ball matches for my club, but initially there was no money,” Deep said.
“So three to four days a month, I would play tennis-ball matches around the district and earn Rs 6000 per day ($113). So I would earn 20,000 per month ($377), which helped me run my expenses.”
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Deep battled against serious back injuries and selection doubts to eventually force his way into the Bengal state team for the Ranji Trophy in 2019, before being selected by Bangalore in the IPL in 2021. His Test debut would not come until February this year against England in the 4th Test, where he took three wickets.
Deep’s star showing against Australia in Brisbane was his first appearance in the Border–Gavaskar Trophy and he looks set to play a significant role in the third Test in Melbourne with the bat and bowl in the fourth test.
A capacity crowd at the MCG for the Boxing Test will be the perfect stage for a player who once had to sneak out in secret to play the game he loved.
