As sister battles cancer, her dahi vada awaits pacer Akash Deep in Lucknow

Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

India's latest pace sensation Akash Deep, who ran through England's batting order at Edgbaston and bowled India to a big win, could light up any room with his voice, his dance moves and his soft corner for Urdu sher-o-shayari, his Lucknow-based brother-in-law Niteesh Kumar Singh said. Indian cricketer Akash Deep with his elder sister, Akhand Jyoti Singh (PTI)
Singh, an ex-serviceman, lives in the state capital with his wife, Akash Deep's sister. The new pace spearhead had dedicated his 10-wicket match haul in Birmingham to his sister who is battling cancer.
'Akash isn't just a cricketer but a complete intellectual package,' said Singh, adding, 'he's poetry in motion, whether on the pitch or at home.'
In the quiet lanes of Saraswati Puram near SGPGI, Lucknow, far from Edgbaston and the grind of Test cricket, Akash is still remembered not for his outswinger, but for the way he sang at family functions or presented poetry late into the night.
'He was only 12 when I got married into the family,' recalled Niteesh.
'Even then, he had this intense focus on cricket. But what stood out more? His intellect. His curiosity. His love for music and rhyme. It was like cricket was one of many things he was born to do.'
His sister, Akhand Jyoti Singh, knew it too. That sparkle in his eye when he performed — whether in the backyard or with the ball — was never ordinary. And though he was born in Sasaram (Bihar) and grew through the ranks in Bengal cricket, it was Lucknow he returned to for warmth, for love — for home.
Now, playing for the Lucknow Super Giants, his visits have grown more frequent. But it's not the biryanis or kebabs that bring him back.
'He wants my home-cooked dahi vada and green vegetables,' Jyoti laughs.
'That's his celebration — just a simple meal made with love.'
As Akash ripped through the English top order, his sister fighting Stage 3 cancer was watching his performance in Lucknow. She cheered when the bails flew. She clapped when commentators sang his praises.
After the match, she became emotional as, for the first time, her brother told the world about a truth they had kept close to the chest:
'This one is for my sister.'
'I didn't know he'd say that on TV,' Jyoti said. 'Maybe... maybe we weren't ready. But hearing it, I knew just how much he was holding inside.'
Behind every wicket was pain — . of wanting to be there, and yet being told by her to stay away — for the country, for his dreams.
'I told him, 'Forget my illness. Play for India,'' Jyoti said. 'We've already lost our father and eldest brother. Akash is our pillar now — he couldn't afford to stumble.'
So he didn't.
He flew between matches and medical emergencies. He held fast to both dreams and duty.
'Sometimes during IPL, he'd come home late at night, sit beside my bed, not say a word. Just... be there.'
While India applauded a match-winning spell, a family silently wiped tears.
'We never wanted sympathy,' Jyoti said. 'We wanted him to be free — mentally, emotionally — to chase what he was born for. And now that he's achieving it, it feels like we're winning too.'
When Akash returns from England after the Test series that ends in August, his heart is set to draw him to a home in Lucknow where love abounds.
A plate of dahi vada, maybe some green sabzi, and eyes that say more than any standing ovation ever could will wait for him.