India’s historic win at Edgbaston built on Akash Deep’s courage — on and off the field

Before weaving his magic with the red ball on England pitches, right-arm quick Akash Deep was navigating a far more difficult terrain — hospital corridors, not cricket stadiums. As his sister Jyoti battled cancer, the youngster was quietly shouldering a storm few knew about.

While the world witnessed a cricketer returning to the Playing XI and justifying his selection with a career-defining performance in the second Test at Edgbaston, behind the scenes was a brother carrying not just the weight of a nation’s expectations, but the silent burden of fear, worry and hope for a loved one.

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What followed at Edgbaston was a historic triumph for India, and Deep emerged as one of the architects of the famous victory with a 10-wicket match haul (four in the first innings and six in the second), that helped the visitors level the five-Test series 1-1.

But the real story emerged only after the final ball was bowled when the man behind the match-winner opened up about the pain.

“I have not told this to anyone,” he said softly, speaking to Sony Sports, his voice catching between words. Jyoti was first admitted to the hospital when Akash was playing for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025.

“My elder sister has been suffering from cancer for the last two months. She is now stable, and she is fine. I think she will be the happiest (seeing my performance). I want to dedicate this match to her. I wanted to see a smile on her face,” he added.

And then, as emotion overwhelmed resolve, his heart spoke again, this time, not to the interviewer, but straight to his sister: “This is for you. Whenever I held the ball in my hand, your face was in my mind. I want to see happiness on your face. We are all with you.”

Drafted into the side as a replacement for pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested from the second Test for workload management, the 28-year-old’s sensational match figures of 10/187, helped India record their first-ever Test win at Edgbaston.

With that performance, Deep also bettered Chetan Sharma’s long-standing record (10/188 in 1986) to register the best-ever Test bowling figures by an Indian on English soil, and became just the second Indian pacer to claim a 10-wicket match haul in England.