Akash Deep dedicates 10-wicket haul against England at Edgbaston to cancer-ridden sister; ‘Behen yeh tumare liye hai’

The Indian Cricket Team on Sunday registered a 336-run win in the second Test against England at Edgbaston to level the five-match series, and the credit goes to India's finest pacer Akash Deep.

Apart from picking up four crucial wickets in the first innings, Akash Deep took six wickets in the second innings, leading India to beat the guests by a whopping 336 runs.

It is Akash Deep's first-ever 10-wicket haul and he had dedicated this achievement to his cancer-ridden sister.

During his post-match interview with Sony Sports Network, Akash Deep revealed that his elder sister is suffering from cancer, and it was diagnosed two weeks back.

“I haven't told anyone about this. My elder sister is suffering from cancer. It was diagnosed two months ago. She is okay right now. She is stable. She would be so happy with my performance. She has gone through so much mentally in the last two months. I dedicate my performance to her,” said Akash Deep.

“I just wanted to give her happiness with my performance,” he added.

Asked what message he would like to give to his sister, Akash Deep said, “Behen yeh tumare liye hai. (This is for you.) Whenever I held the ball. I was just thinking about you as your face was popping up throughout. I just wanted to give you happiness. We are all with you.”

Akash Deep's 10-wicket haul:

The right-arm speedster replaced India's best pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the Edgbaston Test. Along with Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep stepped up to power India level the series by 1-1.

In the first innings, Akash Deep scalped four wickets—Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, and Chris Woakes—helping India restrict England to 407 runs.

Akash Deep didn't disappoint in the second innings either and performed even better. He picked up a six-fer for just 99 runs. This led India to beat England by 336 runs. This is Akash's first six-fer in Test cricket.

Also, Akash Deep has become only the second Indian bowler to take a 10 wicket-haul in a Test in England, Chetan Sharma is the only other Indian when he took 10/188 also at Birmingham back in 1986.

Earlier, batting first, India scored a total of 587 runs, all thanks to Shubman Gill's 269 runs. In response, England managed to score 407 runs, where Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (184) both scored their individual centuries.

In the second innings, India scored 427 runs for six wickets and declared the innings. Gill smashed 161 runs in just 162 deliveries. To this, England could only manage to score 271 runs and lost the match to India.

Apart from Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj picked up 6 wickets in the first innings and one wicket in the second innings.