Last Updated: February 24, 2023, 11:13 IST
Deepak Chahar (left) and Hardik Pandya. (BCCI Photo)
Last year was quite challenging for Deepak Chahar as he missed the entire IPL and T20 World Cup while dealing with fitness concerns
India fast bowler Deepak Chahar has been struggling with fitness concerns for over a year now. Before he was sidelined by injuries, Chahar’s stocks were skyrocketing with Chennai Super Kings splurging Rs 14 crore on him at the IPL mega auction last year.
However, he wasn’t able to play a single match for CSK in IPL 2022 due to a back injury. The struggle to stay fit forced him to miss several important tournaments including the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
The 30-year-old though used that time to go back to basics and work on improving his fitness.
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With the rising competition for a single spot in the senior cricket team, Chahar knows exactly what he has to do to ensure he remains in contention.
“My process is simple. Even when I haven’t been playing for India, it’s the same. When I was struggling with my state team, people laughed when I used to say I will play for India one day. They used to say ‘How will he play for India when he can’t even make it to the state team?'” Chahar told Sports Thank you.
“I used to focus on only one thing – the day I can consistently bowl around 140kph, swing the ball both ways, there won’t be any problem getting anyone out. With the bat, I want to contribute as much as possible. A fast bowler who can bat as well will always have a place in the Indian team. My only motive is to reach that level. Performance and selection will follow,” he added.
Chahar pointed out the fact that a quality fast-bowling allrounder is a rare quality and that space has less competition.
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“There’s less competition for a fast bowling allrounder. There’s just Hardik Pandya, he’s world’s No. 1 allrounder and he always will have a place whether he plays today or after a year. A player with such skillset has value,” Chahar said.
Chahar says he’s already visualising playing for CSK in IPL in front of a packed crowd. The season will get underway when defending champions Gujarat Titans host CSK in Ahmedabad on March 31.
“I have bowled the first ball of the IPL season on three occasions and soon as the schedule for the 2023 edition was announced, I saw we have the inaugural match that will give me a chance to bowl the first ball on fourth occasion and I am pretty excited about. I am visualising myself bowling in front of a packed Ahmedabad crowd,” Chahar said.
And he wants to use IPL as a platform to launch his international comeback.
“IPL is a barometer and thus if I want to make a comeback in International cricket, performing in IPL will be crucial. Performance in every tournament matters but since IPL is the biggest stage, it gives an edge to the selection process too,” he said.
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