Indian pacer Akash Deep has dedicated India’s historic Test win at Edgbaston to his elder sister, who has been undergoing treatment for cancer for the past two months.
Speaking after India’s victory over England in the second Test, the 27-year-old revealed that he had kept his sister’s illness private, focusing on cricket while his thoughts remained with his family.
“I have not told this to anyone. My elder sister has been suffering from cancer for the last two months. She is stable now and doing fine. I think she will be the happiest seeing my performance. I want to dedicate this match to her. I just wanted to see a smile on her face,” Akash told Sony Sports after the match.
He added, “This is for you. Whenever I held the ball in my hand, your face was on my mind. I want to see happiness on your face. We are all with you.”
Akash Deep produced a match-winning spell at Edgbaston, claiming 10 wickets for 187 runs — four in the first innings and six in the second — to hand India their first-ever Test win at the iconic venue.
His figures broke Chetan Sharma’s long-standing record of 10/188 (1986) for the best Test bowling performance by an Indian in England. He also became only the second Indian pacer to take a 10-wicket match haul on English soil.
Before leaving for England, Akash Deep had spent weeks in hospital corridors attending to his sister. The pacer said his family’s struggle kept him grounded through the tour and that every delivery he bowled carried a prayer for his sister’s recovery.
Behind the milestone, he said, was a simple wish: to see his sister smile.
IANS