As a young cricketer, growing up in Varanasi, Akash Deep would often wonder how the Green Park Stadium actually looked like. Back in his junior school days, when he heard about the venue in Kanpur for the first time, Akash thought, “it must be very green, that’s why it’s called Green Park…”
More than two decades later, as he walked around the stadium on Wednesday afternoon, donning the India colours, nostalgia crept in. “It was an incredible feeling,” Akash said with a smile, “It was indeed a happy moment to be at the venue regarding which I had heard so many stories since my childhood.”
From being just another domestic talent to exhibiting a phenomenal rise as a fast bowler, Akash has featured in two Tests for India, thus far. His two-wicket haul in the first innings of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai has once again brought him into the limelight. And he is soaking in every moment.
While he wants to pick the brains of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as much as possible, Akash enjoys bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah. For him, it’s all about living in the present and making the most of the opportunities. Having put in the hard yards, Akash understands the importance of hanging in there and backing his talent. “As a player, you need to understand yourself and know your strengths,” he said.
It’s this self belief that has brought him so far. In 2019, he made it to the Bengal Under-23 side and made his senior debut for the state in all three formats in the same year. In his second First-Class game, he proved his mettle by claiming a six-for against Gujarat. Eventually, having added 35 wickets to his tally, Akash played a key role in guiding Bengal to the final of the Ranji Trophy.
Akash did not aim for the sky, setting small and realistic targets, which paid rich dividends. Regular wickets with the white ball earned him a maiden Indian Premier League contract with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Royal Challengers Bengaluru) in 2021. Two years later, he claimed 41 wickets in the season after clinching 10 wickets against Haryana in a Ranji Trophy outing. The performance not only earned him a spot in the Duleep Trophy squad, but also booked him a seat on India A’s flight to South Africa. All of that culminated in a Test debut against England in Ranchi with a fiery opening spell earlier this year.
Akash, no stranger to struggles, wants to not think too far ahead about India’s tour of Australia. “We need to understand what we can add to the bowling. There’s no added pressure about going to Australia and all that,” he said.
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Donning the India colours comes with a huge responsibility. “It is a huge responsibility to deliver the goods like the bowlers who have contributed for India before you,” he said, adding: “When I came into the team, I saw the legends like Rohit bhai and Virat bhai are on a different level in terms of dedication, and that’s when I realised that if they can do it, we also need to learn.”
This approach has so far helped him in his journey. “When I broke into the Indian team, I was a bit hesitant in terms of how to handle pressure. But Rohit bhaiya made things simple for me and it did not feel that I was playing international cricket,” he said, adding that Rohit has been one of the most ‘sorted captains’ he has played under.
While these are still early days for him and he wants to learn more from the likes of Bumrah, Akash also believes that in case things go awry for him in a game, captain Rohit will guide him well and ensure that he puts in the best effort .That’s the sort of confidence he has on his skipper, who has been able to bring the best out of Akash in red-ball cricket.
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