"When he was alive, I couldn't do anything" - Akash Deep remembers his late father after Day 1 of IND vs ENG 4th Test

Rookie Indian seamer Akash Deep dedicated his performance on Day 1 of the fourth Test against England to his late father. The Bihar-born cricketer regretted not doing anything notable when his father was alive.

Deep got his maiden Test cap in Ranchi, with Jasprit Bumrah rested for the game. The 27-year-old 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.

At a presser on Friday, 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."

The right-arm seamer recalled his father and brother almost instantly and how hardly anything else mattered.

"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."

Akash Deep made his first-class debut in December 2019 and has had promising numbers in domestic red-ball cricket. In 30 games, he has claimed 104 wickets at 23.58 with four fifers.

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"I have been playing cricket for some time now" - Akash Deep

Akash Deep

When asked whether there was any nervousness on his debut, the 27-year-old said that the advice from Bumrah helped massively:

"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."

At Stumps on Day 1, England recahed 302-7, thanks to an unbeaten 106 from Joe Root.