In October of the same year, Akash Deep’s elder brother Dhiraj died on his way to a hospital in Varanasi following a brief illness, leaving behind two daughters and a wife.

“If his father and brother were alive today, they would be brimming with joy. This is the life’s most memorable day and only few are lucky to see it. I’m the proudest mom on this earth,” Laduma Devi said, tears rolling down her eyes.

“Sab bolte hain, padhoge likhoge banoge nawab; kheloge, kudoge banoge kharab. Yeh toh ulta ho gaya. (They say those who study become kings, and those who play end up spoilt. But it’s the opposite in our case).”

The 27-year-old was as self-assured as a seasoned pro as he blew away the English top order in the first hour’s play to leave the visitors reeling at 112/5 at lunch.

There were no nerves to be seen, and why would there be, Akash Deep had known and handled bigger challenges than England’s ‘Bazball’ much earlier in life. With the family reliant on his father’s monthly pension, he had thought of giving up his passion for cricket and focus on finding a stable income.

The youngest among six siblings with three elder sisters, Akash Deep briefly dabbled in sand selling business by renting dumpers near Sone river at the Bihar-Jharkhand border after Dhiraj’s death. He would also play tennis ball cricket at that time and needed a helping hand to keep his cricketing dream alive. His cousin Baibhaw, whose father works at Durgapur Steel Plant allowing him access to coaching in leather ball cricket, proved to be just the man.