Akash Deep says he missed Rahul Dravid’s message confirming Ranchi Test debut

Akash Deep said on September 18, 2026, that he initially ignored a message from India head coach Rahul Dravid which confirmed he would make his Test debut in Ranchi. He revealed the episode while speaking on Panchayat Aaj Tak Bihar.

Dravid sent the message a day before the Test, but Akash Deep did not recognise the number and assumed it was one of many routine match-day texts. “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 Deep said on Panchayat Aaj Tak Bihar. He spent around 11-12 hours unsure whether he would play and later called to apologise: “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 said.

When confirmation arrived, Akash Deep reframed the occasion as a test of his long-term work rather than a one-off triumph. “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 said.

Akash Deep described a childhood in Sasaram, Bihar, without access to a proper cricket ground and having never seen leather-ball cricket before leaving home. He initially played as a batsman but switched to bowling after moving away because cricket equipment was expensive.

After relocating, he moved to Delhi and later to Kolkata, where he began playing club cricket and progressed into the professional ranks, eventually representing Bengal and earning an India call-up. His Test debut in Ranchi had personal meaning: his mother and other family members were able to travel to watch him play for India.

He has also worked on his batting at the encouragement of Gautam Gambhir and seeks to contribute with the bat when required. “I cannot betray the thing that has given me everything. Bowling has given me everything in life, so I will always choose bowling. But whenever I get an opportunity to bat, I will take it,” he said.

Akash Deep said his immediate focus is on the current World Test Championship cycle and the remaining seven matches before the final, beginning with the upcoming series against New Zealand.