[Video] Rahul Dravid Gets Emotional While Narrating Akash Deep’s Struggle Story

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Jatin Khandelwal

 

India head coach Rahul Dravid gave a goosebumps-inducing, heartfelt speech before handing Akash Deep his debut Test cap ahead of the fourth Test against England in Ranchi.

Bengal pacer Akash Deep became Indian men’s Test player number 313 on Friday as he kick-started his international cricket journey on Friday at the JSCA international stadium. And he did it with a bang by taking 3 wickets in his opening spell.

With Jasprit Bumrah resting from this game, India decided to play Akash over Mukesh Kumar. The belief seems that Akash’s extra pace over Mukesh would be helpful when the ball reverses. His pace troubled the England batters early on with the new ball as he found seam movement and took the wickets of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Zak Crawley in his 7-over spell with the red cherry.

Before all this, during the cap presentation ceremony at the ground before the toss, Rahul Dravid narrated Akash Deep’s struggle-filled and inspirational journey.

Born in Bihar, Akash left home for Delhi to pursue a cricket career but returned home when his father and brother passed away in a space of six months in 2015-16. He stayed away from cricket for about three years before moving to Bengal to pursue his dreams once again.

Akash Deep

He made his debut for Bengal in 2019 and soon was noticed by the RCB scouts. He has been with RCB since 2021.

Video: Rahul Dravids gives an emotional speech before presenting Akash Deep with debut cap

[Video] Rahul Dravid Gets Emotional While Narrating Akash Deep's Struggle Story

Rahul Dravid seemed to have gotten emotional during his passionate speech at the cap presentation ceremony, where Akash’s mother and other family members were present.

Dravid said, “Akash your journey started from a place named Baddi, which is roughly 200 km from here. You have faced a lot of hardships in this journey. You have worked hard. You have seen a lots of ups and downs.

“You on your own, moved from Baddi to Delhi to play cricket. You were inspired by the 2007 T20 World Cup win. You stayed alone in Delhi and put in the efforts. Then you moved to Kolkata from Delhi.”

The coach added, “It is a special feeling for you as your mother is also here along with some of your family members. It is unfortunate that your father and elder brother are no more. But we are sure that they are blessing you from wherever they are.”

Watch the video here:

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