Rookie Indian pacer Akash Deep has dedicated his bowling performance on Day 1 of the fourth Test against England to his late father. The Bihar-born cricketer has also regretted not doing anything notable when his father was alive as well. However, Deep got his maiden Test cap in Ranchi, with Jasprit Bumrah rested for the Test match as well. The speedster had a mixed start but roared in the first session with three top-order wickets. He was denied Zak Crawley’s wicket due to overstepping as well.

At a presser on Friday, Akash Deep said: “I dedicate this to my father. It was my father’s dream that his son does something good with his life. When he was alive, I couldn’t do anything. So I dedicate this performance to my father. It was a very emotional moment for me. I lost my father and my brother in the same year. After that I felt, I need to do something with my life. Then I left my home to play cricket. Bengal supported me well. I got a good atmosphere. I played Ranji Trophy with them. My journey in cricket, my family has a played a big role in it. Because when you lose two big people in your house, you have nothing left to lose.”

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However, Akash Deep made his first-class debut in December 2019 and he has good numbers in domestic red-ball cricket. In 30 games, he has picked up 104 wickets at 23.58 with four fifers. When he was asked whether there was any nervousness on his debut, he said that the advice from Bumrah helped him a lot.

“No, there was no nervousness because a lot of things had already been discussed, with our coaches. And I have been playing cricket for some time now, so it did not feel anything new. I was just trying to follow my process. In domestic cricket, our length is a couple of feet fuller. Here, our coaches, captain and Bumrah bhai told me that at international level, the length is a touch shorter because batsmen look to chase the ball here.”

Meanwhile, Akash Deep has started drawing comparisons with his teammate and India star Mohammed Shami. His bowling style, line, and length have made many experts compare him with the senior India pacer as well.

Akash Deep said: “In my childhood, I didn’t know about cricket. From where I come, there is no cricket. I was playing tennis and cricket till 2007. In 2016, when I left from home, I started following Shami bhai. I watch him and Rabada closely.”