India pacer Akash Deep narrated a hilarious story before making his Test debut against England at Ranchi in February 2024. He found a place in the playing XI as the team management decided to manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload midway through the five-Test series.

Akash received his maiden Test cap from then-head coach Rahul Dravid. He had a memorable start to his India career, rattling England’s top order by dismissing Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley with his opening spell.

Akash claimed three wickets in the first innings, but he was unable to add to his tally as Indian spinners ran riot in the second innings to bundle England out for a paltry 145.

India went on to win the Ranchi Test by five wickets. In the series finale at Dharamsala, Akash was left out of the playing XI as Bumrah returned to the lineup.

On the eve of his Test debut, Akash Deep accidentally ignored a text message from Dravid confirming his selection because the coach's number was not saved in his phone.

Because he gets flooded with texts from random numbers before big games, Akash casually brushed it aside, completely unaware it came from Dravid.

He spent nearly 11 to 12 hours restless and anxious, constantly wondering if he would make the final playing eleven. It was only after re-checking the message closely that he recognized the sender, quickly called Dravid back to apologize, and received the formal confirmation.

“I got a message from Rahul sir saying, ‘You are playing tomorrow.’ His number was not saved on my phone, so I ignored the message,” Akash said while speaking at Panchayat Aaj Tak Bihar.

“I was restless because I had a doubt whether I was playing. When I checked the message again, I realised it was Rahul sir's number. I called him and said, sorry, sir, your number was not saved, so I missed the message,” he added.

After receiving confirmation from Dravid about making his Test debut against England, Akash Deep viewed the opportunity as the biggest test of his two decades of relentless dedication.

“I was happy, but I looked at it as an opportunity. I thought that this was the biggest opportunity of my life. Whatever I had done over 22-23 years, these five days were the examination for that,” he remarked.

Akash Deep has played 10 Test matches for India so far, claiming 28 wickets at an average of 35.79. His best Test performance came during India’s tour of England, where he took 13 wickets in three matches.

Meanwhile, Akash has been included in the Rest of India’s squad for the upcoming Irani Cup against reigning Ranji Trophy champions, Jammu and Kashmir, only subject to fitness clearnace, as he has been on the sidelines due to an injury.