Akash Deep named in Rest of India squad for Irani Cup after seven-month injury layoff

Seven months on the sidelines ends as seamer earns Irani Cup recall

Bengaluru: "Will you have tea or coffee?" Akash Deep asks, adjusting his chair in a hotel lobby before settling into a comfortable position and grinning from ear to ear. "I have not played competitive cricket for the past seven months, now I will play," he says.

The 29-year-old has every reason to be happy. First, he has received the Right to Play (RTP) clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) and is ready to make a comeback after a long injury layoff. Second, he cannot wait to check out of the Bengaluru hotel that has been his home for the past seven months.

Akash Deep has been named in the 15-member Rest of India squad, led by Rishabh Pant, which will face 2025-26 Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup, starting October 1 in Srinagar. The last time he played competitive cricket was the Ranji Trophy semifinal for Bengal, where they lost to the eventual champions by six wickets — the match in which he suffered a lower-back stress fracture.

"I played that match with a 102 fever"

"I played that match with a 102 fever. It was my call and when it comes to playing for Bengal, I don't think twice. That state has given me so much. Whatever I am is because of Cricket Association Bengal (CAB). Even in the future, if I have to take a risk for Bengal to have a chance to win the Ranji Trophy, I will not think twice before taking it," Akash says.

The layoff stretched longer than he would have liked and ruled him out of IPL 2026 and international cricket. Was it worth it? "For cricketers like us, we need to prove our credentials in every chance we get. It is easy to say, oh, I could have skipped that match... The workload was high, but it was a Ranji Trophy semifinal and there was a chance for us to lift that trophy. I know the injury gave a dent to my wallet as I missed out on the IPL, missed international cricket, but for me, I saw an opportunity where I had the chance to do something special on a bigger stage," he explains.

A painful chapter behind the laughter

Behind the giggles and excitement of a comeback lies a difficult chapter. Akash has endured rejection, contemplated quitting cricket, lost his father and elder brother, and even learned to drive a truck to make ends meet. Yet when he speaks of his darkest phase, it is his sister Akhand Jyoti Singh's cancer diagnosis that broke him.

"She was the one who had forced me to pursue cricket. There was a time I thought of quitting cricket. She kept me going and when she was diagnosed with cancer, I was shattered. I was pleading with God, please not her. I have lost my father, my brother, how much more will God take from me? What would I do with all the money and fame if I won't have people to enjoy those with?" he says.

Luckily, he was playing for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL at the time. "Every day, after completing the training, I used to rush to the hospital and come back around 2:30 am, and on the match day, I used to go to the hospital straight after the match and come back in the morning. I was not eating properly. I was not training properly. I had no focus on my cricket," he adds. Post-IPL, his heroics at Edgbaston helped India win a Test; his sister, then undergoing chemotherapy, told him to play for her, and he dedicated the match-winning performance to her.

The long layoff had its brighter moments: his elder sister recovered from cancer, he married Akshita Raj in Varanasi in June, and was appointed Deputy Superintendent of Police by the Bihar government in July. "Spending weeks in the hotel rooms is not ideal. It is tough. But for me, these six months have been fruitful as well," he laughs.

Praising the Centre of Excellence

Akash dismissed criticism of the CoE and its injury management. "I am here for so many months now and I never faced any issue. There was a clear plan given to me and I have recovered following the instructions given by the CoE. It is a world-class facility. I have played cricket in other countries as well, but I must say when it comes to infrastructure, CoE is way ahead," he says. "Let me ask you something: if you have damaged your liver by drinking alcohol, is the doctor responsible for that? We should have a CoE-like facility in every state of India."

The road ahead

Fit again, Akash knows the road back to the Indian team will not be easy. "I will have to perform well in the Irani Trophy first. Then, if picked, I need to do well for India A. Yes, I want to make a comeback in the Indian team and it won't be that easy. But I am ready for the grind," he says.

His journey, he says, has been like the road in his village — "ubad-khabad," topsy-turvy. Hailing from Sasaram, a town steeped in history where Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun at the Battle of Chausa in 1539, Akash Deep's path, much like the Grand Trunk Road that runs through India, has been rough, winding and uneven — but it has carried him a long way.