It is a tale of biting one bullet at a time and pure talent that Akash Deep stars in the world of cricket. The small village fast bowler, aged 28 years, based in Bihar, India, became an important part of the history of the Indian game with his rare footprints of his participation in the historic Indian victory by 336 runs against England at Edgbaston in July 2025. His 10-wicket haul against England in the 2nd test match did not only tie the series at 1-1, but it was also the first time in the history of the Test that India won a match at the venue after five decades. In this article, we are going into the untold story of how Akash went from rags to riches to become a national hero.
Akash was born in a village called Dehri, which lies in a rice bowl of Bihar, whose early life was not easy. Being born in a poor family, whose father was a government teacher in a school, Akash had all the odds against him, which would have discouraged any other person. When he was a young boy, he did not share his cricketing aspirations with anybody, even to the extent of lying to his teacher at school that he had gone to Kolkata to work. Instead, in 2010 he shifted to Durgapur to take up cricket and joined a local academy through his cousin. It is in that place that his uncultivated speed and machine-like efforts started being noticed.
Akash has gone through misery. He stayed in a dormitory in the Bengal cricket team, which was termed a hellhole hole by his previous coach, Arun Lal. Conditions were hard, the facility was bad, and resources were few, but Akash never moaned. He suffered quietly working at his work. The then Indian cricketer, Arun Lal, witnessed some specialty in the young pacer. He expressed that Akash is, in a word, absolute gold because of his pace, stamina, and mental strength. Lal observed that Akash was not like other children, either physically or mentally, and he never allowed the adverse conditions to sabotage him.
It is not the conventional method that Akash used to go about building his endurance. He used to race to the top of a mountain close to his village, taxing his body to its maximum. This hard training furnished him the stamina that was necessary to bowl long spells, which was an attribute that mattered at Edgbaston. His maturity and skill were also demonstrated during his ability to adapt to a flat pitch that did not assist a bowler in any way. Akash went to a calm track even though it is a swinging and seeming game that is renowned in England. But he adjusted brilliantly, as he had the experience of bowling on such an Indian track at his domestic cricket levels.
It was at Edgbaston that the teenager came on the scene when he replaced the Indian star pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, who was not on the field due to workload management. Quite a number of people were expecting India to struggle in bowling without Bumrah, but Akash threw the opponents off guard as he delivered a magnificent work. During the first innings of England, he picked four wickets to snap an opening partnership of 303 between Harry Brook and Jamie Smith. However, he was able to take only four wickets during the first innings, whereas bowling in the second innings, he took six wickets with a maiden. Test five-wicket haul as he returned match figures of 10 for 187. His send-offs of important batsmen such as Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook were the real game changers to his strength, and it was a peach of a delivery where he brought crashing to the ground the stumps of Joe Root.
It was not only that Akash played well but also played not with his hands but with his arms. Post-game, he also disclosed an emotional reason for his superhero performance: it is his sister, who is fighting cancer. Akash said he thought of her each time he ran in to accomplish the 10-wicket haul to dedicate it to her. His sentimental message touched the fans, which added a complement to his success. To Akash, this was not about cricket but about family and perseverance.
The Indian captain, Shubman Gill, attributed Akash's quality to moving the ball to both sides on a tricky wicket. Gill pointed out how Akash bowled with a whole lot of heart, in that he was very precise and attacked constantly. Even former England pacer Stuart Broad was impressed with Akash, hailing him to get the stumps in the picture and have angles that left even veteran Root foxed. Broad also compared the bowling of Akash with the best in the game and pointed at his wicket-taking ability.
Getting to the Edgbaston was not a journey without losses on the part of Akash. He also had a three-year hiatus in cricket after losing his father so as to start a new life. Back to the game, he left his imprint in the Bengal domestic circuit until he made it to the test squad in 2024. He was ready to perform at the highest level, and his performances in India A vs England Lions, where he ran through the opposition to take 13 wickets, marked a point that he was about to take the plunge to the main stage. Playing under Royal Challenger Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, Akash had gained insightful experience with Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who trained him by telling him to be faithful to his shots and to wait until batsmen would do it wrong.
The triumph in Edgbaston became a milestone in Indian cricket. It was the first win after the 58-year winless streak at the venue, where India had lost seven tests and drawn one. The ten-wicket haul was the 2nd instance by an Indian bowler in 29 years after Chetan Sharma's 10-wicket bag against New Zealand in 1986. His performance of 6 wickets on 99 is the best figures ever hit by an Indian bowler in England, and that made him a part of history.
What happened to Akash Deep is the story of perseverance, irrespective of the numbers. He ran up mountains and bowled in a “hellhole” dormitory but never gave up his dream of being a movie star. He is an example of a player who has come up the ranks from a simple village to the international level, thereby motivating thousands of young aspirants. With India moving on to the third test at Lord's and Jasprit Bumrah coming in, Akash makes such an impact that he would not be cut out of the plans of the team. Arun Lal, his coach, is confident that Akash still has more to offer, and as his self-confidence is building up, the world of cricket is looking forward to what he has to offer next with the ball.
It is an example of a sport where tales of hardship and success ring very high, and the hero is Akash Deep. The historic show by him in Edgbaston is not only the win of India but also of any dreamer who is ready to go above his condition.
