From rural Bihar to Birmingham — Akash Deep's rise was much tougher than MS Dhoni's

Indian Express

17 hours ago

There is a happy story and a sad story involving the 28-year-old Indian pacer Akash Deep, who starred in a historic win against England in the Test in Birmingham on Sunday. Both tales capture the background he came from. When he was 18, his bedridden father died, and two years later, his brother too passed away. 'In my native place, there is a dearth of medical facilities, I lost both of them due to medical negligence,' Akash had told this newspaper. The happy tale has tinges of stark reality as well. When he made his international debut, the people of his village Dehri, in the district of Rohtas, pooled in money to buy a generator so that they could see him bowl uninterrupted by power cuts.
That's why Akash had to wait till he was 27 to make his debut. That's why his story doesn't quite mirror MS Dhoni's rise: Dhoni came from Ranchi, which is miles ahead in terms of development compared to Dehri. That's why Akash Deep's story has the potential to resonate with those real small-towners living with big dreams. By 27, Dhoni was India captain. If there is a parallel, it has to be found with Tamil Nadu's T Natarajan, who debuted in 2021 in a Test in Australia — he had come from the hinterlands near Salem district and grew up thinking he would become a porter or a weaver. Natarajan could look at his own home state of TN, see and get inspired by cricketers who spoke his tongue. Small-town Bihar doesn't produce international cricketers. Akash had to move to Bengal to pursue his dream. Both Natarajan and Akash Deep built cricket academies in their regions as soon as they earned some money. 'In our village, a boy playing cricket was not a good thing, forget about girls. I consider this as one of my achievements. I am able to change the thought process of people back home,' India's latest cricketing hero told The Indian Express.
Akash's earliest strong cricketing memory was watching Dhoni hit the winning six in the 2011 World Cup final. It 'stirred interest' in him, though he couldn't even imagine that one day he would get a chance to meet them, forget playing with them. 'In my mind, they were like superheroes. And from the place I come from, in my wildest imagination, I never thought that someday, I would end up sharing the dressing room with Kohli. Sab sapna hai (Everything is a dream),' he said. Sometimes, just sometimes, dreams do come true.
It was Kohli who gave him his IPL cap on his debut for the IPL franchise RCB. Akash Deep had to ply his trade in club cricket in Bengal, save up some meagre money to be sent back to his mother, learnt Bengali, and luckily found a mentor in former India opening batsman Arun Lal — son of a civil servant from Uttar Pradesh, and who eventually played for Bengal in domestic cricket. Lal could see in Akash Deep what he himself couldn't see — the young cricketer began to dream bigger. When the moment with Kohli came, he remembered one piece of advice from his first Ranji Trophy captain, Manoj Tiwary, who has family roots in Bihar but was born and played for Bengal. 'Manoj bhaiyya said, 'Virat is India's captain, and if you manage to impress him, you will get to play in the IPL next season, and might play for India as well'. That was my goal in the practice matches.' He took Manoj bhaiya's words to heart, picked a clutch of wickets, was acquired in the IPL auction by RCB, and received his cap from one of his 'superheroes'.
It was during that IPL that Akash Deep even began to think he could become a Test player one day, and it was Kohli who seeded that idea in him. For a son of a teacher at a small school, who was strictly forbidden to play the game, it was a leap too far to even dream. Akash Deep's father had told him that his career would go nowhere if he chose cricket. He was not entirely wrong, actually. There was no cricket in Bihar, and the disappointments of those who had tried their hand at the game were before Akash Deep. It takes a village to raise a child, but sometimes the same village can crush a dream.
Akash Deep persisted with his passion, made the journey to another state, did the hard yards from club to Ranji, took the big step in IPL, and after a starry, dreamy turn in Birmingham, would tap his chest and point his fingers at the ground — that he belonged at this level. Later, he would dedicate his performance to his sister, who is recovering from cancer. Over the last seven years, Akash Deep has gone through a lot. Trials, tribulations, fame, accolades. 'Apne gaon ki sadak jaisi journey rahi hai bilkul, ubad khabad (My journey has been like the road in my village, topsy-turvy).' But in the end, he has on the shiny highway to stardom.
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