Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
It has been said a gazillion times and it will be said once again, cricket in India is not just a game. People breathe cricket in the country that has produced legends of the game over the years. It has been 39 years since India first won the World Cup, but the memories remain still afresh in many minds. From that day onwards the love for the game has kept on increasing with every passing year. The idols have changed for generations but the love for the game has remained intact.
Every day a kid dreams to represent India or play professional cricket and when it's fulfilled there is nothing more a kid can ask for. With the introduction of the Indian Premier League, the craze for the game got bigger as it showed that dreams can be fulfilled. There have been many stories in the history of IPL where a star has been identified out of nowhere. Royal challenges Bangalore's Akash Deep has been one of the newest members of that group.
After being with the team for almost two years Akash Deep is finally getting regular chances in the playing 11. But his journey from a small village in Bihar to being part of one of the top teams in the world's biggest T20 league has not been that smooth. The pacer got candid about his initial days' struggles and his journey onwards.
When asked about how difficult it was for him back then to play cricket Akash Deep said, "It was really difficult. Parents would lose their temper even if they heard us talking about it. Playing cricket was synonymous with committing a crime in our village. There were no grounds to play cricket. As a kid, we did not know that cricket can be our future but my dedication and passion for the game made me go for it.
Getting my debut cap from Virat Kohli was the proudest moment of my life: Akash Deep
Akash Deep also talked about how he always liked RCB and always wanted to represent this Bengaluru-based franchise. The right-arm quick said that because of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers he never skipped watching RCB's game he then talked about how dreamy it was for him to get his debut cap from his idol, Virat Kohli.
"Getting my debut cap was big but getting it from Virat Kohli was even bigger. That was the proudest moment of my life. I had always admired Virat Kohli ever since I started playing cricket. Everyone followed his fitness regime and so did I. So, it was great to get my cap from him," said Akash Deep.