Indian bowler Akash Deep’s struggle story: From losing his father to becoming Team India’s new saviour

Indian pacer Akash Deep is undoubtedly one of the biggest rising talents in Indian cricket. The 23-year-old immediately made headlines last year when he made his Test debut for India against England in the home Test series. Since his memorable debut, Deep has consistently performed well and has displayed flashes of brilliance, thus making him a serious contender in the red-ball format in such a short space of time. 

But it is about time we look back and try to unveil his struggle story. The Indian pacer has a fair share of highs and lows in his life. It wasn't all that smooth when he started off his cricketing career. In his quest to become a professional cricketer, Deep had to contend with a lot of hard-fought challenges in life that would have weakened even the toughest of hearts. Akash Deep's life was marked by personal tragedies and financial struggles, which he navigated to achieve cricketing success. 

At 23, he took a three-year break from his career due to his father's paralytic attack. Tragically, he then lost both his father and elder brother within a short span of two months. Furthermore, he faced a career-threatening back injury, which threatened to end his career prematurely. But through it all, Deep persevered and never deviated from his ultimate goal. Fast forward to today, the entire nation is now looking up to him to help India deliver their maiden Test victory in Edgbaston. 

See also: India vs England, 2nd Test: 'It Will Take a Superhuman Effort from Home Team to Come Back in the Series'.

His contribution in the ongoing Edgbaston Test

Akash Deep has certainly risen to the occasion in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Despite the obvious absence of the premium bowler, Deep has never allowed his absence to dwindle India's chances of securing their historic first win at Edgbaston. During the first England innings, the rest of the Indian bowling unit, excluding Siraj, fell flat. But he, along with Siraj, stood tall as the two shared 10 wickets between them to bring England down for 407. Deep accounted for four scalps of Duckett, Pope, Brook, and Woakes. 

His courage showed with the ball, despite an entertaining 329-run stand from Brook and Jamie helped India eke out a massive 180-run lead. He continued his stellar run in the second innings as well, picking up two out of three wickets to effectively bolster India's chances of triumphing on the final day of the Edgbaston Test.