That proved to be the turning point. Deep soon began playing in Bengal's domestic circuit and was quickly noticed. "He was on the fringes. But it was pretty evident that he was an exceptional talent. He had a lot of strength, good pace, and a natural ability to swing the ball. So, we brought him into the team and he did exceedingly well," says former India cricketer Arun Lal, then Bengal's coach. "He was so good that I am rather disappointed that it has taken him so long to surface on the international stage." But talent alone wasn't enough. Arun had to work on Akash's mindset. "He underestimated himself. So the idea was to work on his temperament rather than technique and try to get him to believe in himself," Arun says. His domestic performances eventually earned him a spot in the IPL, and soon after, in India's Test squad. Deep made his international debut in early 2024 against England, picking up three wickets. It seemed his fortunes had finally turned. But more hardship was around the corner. "His sister was diagnosed with cancer. He went through a lot of stress and would even turn his phone off. He was feeling mentally down since he had already lost his father and brother. But thankfully, she is fine now," Vaibhav says. Deep later dedicated his performance at Edgbaston to his sister. "Every time I picked up the ball, her thoughts and picture crossed my mind. This performance is dedicated to her. I want to tell her, 'Sis, we are all with you.'" After Edgbaston, Deep struggled at Lord's and missed the Old Trafford Test through injury, but his absence was felt as his replacement, Anshul Kamboj, struggled to adapt to English conditions. His return to the team cannot come quickly enough.