Little was expected of Akash Deep as he stepped out onto the Gabba at number 11 to try to save the third Test, and potentially the series, for his country in Brisbane.
Deep was playing in just his sixth Test match and needed to make 32 more runs with fellow bowler Jasprit Bumrah to avoid a seemingly inevitable follow-on, which would likely help Australia win the game and travel to Melbourne with significant momentum.
Confidence was not high, and Indian opener KL Rahul even admitted he was preparing to pad up for the next session.
But Deep had other ideas. In partnership with Jasprit Bumrah, Deep held off the Aussie attack, and his final act on a nerveless batting session was to smash a Pat Cummins delivery into the stands for six and send Australia into bat. Deep’s show of defiance ensured the hosts did not have enough time to bowl India out again for victory.
“We come to bat lower down the order, so contributions of 20-25-30 runs are very valuable,” Deep said at the MCG on Sunday. “My mindset is just to contribute. I wasn’t looking to save the follow-on that day, I was just looking not to get out. My mindset was this. God willing, we were able to save the follow-on.
“When you save the match from such a situation, the entire team gains confidence, and our dressing room reflected just that. Everyone was having fun and enjoying.”
Deep trouble: Akash Deep helped to save India from what looked like a certain follow onCredit: AP
Deep’s ability to overcome the odds on and off the field has become a feature of his life.
Deep grew up in one of India’s poorest states, Bihar, where he had no opportunity to play organised cricket. The only way out of poverty was to focus your attention hard on your studies but Deep went against the wishes of his parents and his community in pursuing his dreams of becoming a professional cricketer.
“In Bihar there was no platform and especially from the place where I came from, Sasaram, playing cricket was a crime,” Deep said in an interview with his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore.
“Lots of parents would ask their children not to mingle with Akash as he only plays cricket and your studies would go for a toss.
“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.”
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 Melbourne with the bat and ball in the fourth Test.
A capacity crowd at the MCG for the Boxing Day Test will be the perfect stage for a player who once had to sneak out in secret to play the game he loved.