Indian pacer Deepak Chahar is raring to go in the upcoming Indian Premier League, knowing it could help him get in contention for the T20 World Cup later in the year in the USA and the West Indies. The 31-year-old right arm pacer Deepak Chahar played only one T20 International last year and had to skip the South Africa white-ball tour for personal reasons.
Deepak Chahar missed the T20I series in South Africa last December and the subsequent leg at home against Afghanistan because his father was unwell. The new-ball bowler also played in only one of the five T20Is against Australia. Hence, the upcoming season of IPL is his last chance to make his case for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Deepak Chahar and his stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Deepak Chahar, the prominent pacer for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and India, has faced setbacks due to recurring hamstring injuries, affecting his participation in crucial tournaments. With the last competitive match in December 2023, Chahar’s injuries have intermittently kept him on the sidelines, impacting his South African tour and the T20I series against Afghanistan.
CSK has played a pivotal role in Chahar’s career, particularly under MS Dhoni’s leadership. Dhoni’s strategic use of Chahar as a new ball bowler has often resulted in early breakthroughs, contributing significantly to the team’s success. Beyond his bowling skills, Chahar has showcased his batting prowess, notably with a stellar half-century against Sri Lanka in an ODI match.
The inclusion of Shardul Thakur strengthens CSK’s batting lineup, providing depth up to the ninth position. Chahar, reflecting on his batting abilities, recalled an instance in 2018 when Dhoni promoted him up the order, leading to a match-winning performance. Despite limited opportunities with the bat, Chahar expressed his readiness to contribute whenever required.
As CSK gears up for IPL 2024, the addition of Kiwi players Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra, known for their proficiency against spin bowling, enhances the squad. However, Chahar pointed out the challenge for Dhoni and Stephen Fleming in determining the team’s optimal balance given the abundance of options.
Family comes first- Deepak Chahar
Team India seamer Deepak Chahar recently said that it was an obvious decision to skip the recent tour of South Africa to spend time with his ailing father. The 31-year-old declared that family always comes first and that the situation required his full attention.
Chahar missed the T20I series in South Africa last December and the subsequent leg at home against Afghanistan because his father was unwell. The new-ball bowler also played in only one of the five T20Is against Australia. Hence, the upcoming season of IPL is his last chance to make his case for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Chahar said:
“I’d say family comes first. If there’s a family emergency, you don’t think about anything else. When you face a situation like this, you don’t think about what’s going to happen next. When I came out of that situation, I could think about what next I can do. When anyone sees me play the next time, they should be thinking: ‘he’s an improved cricketer’,”
The Agra-born cricketer believes the Chennai Super Kings had an excellent auction, prompting some happy headaches for the think tank. He added:
“We had a very good auction and I also said recently that we have such a good balance that Mahi bhai and Fleming will have problems to make the combinations. We will have plenty of combinations to play with, so they’re the ones who are going to decide,”
The Yellow Army purchased Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mustafizur Rahman, Sameer Rizvi, Shardul Thakur, and Avinash Rao Aravelly. Mitchell proved to be the most expensive player, fetching INR 14 crore from the franchise.
Deepak Chahar has praise for CSK and West Indies star Dwayne Bravo.
The right-arm seamer also heaped praise on Dwayne Bravo, talking about how well he uses his experience to teach bowlers how to bowl in the death overs. Chahar said:
“He has so much experience. He has more than 600 wickets in T20 cricket. He doesn’t teach me a lot [with the new ball], but when it comes to the old ball, he starts giving his coaching. He’s helped the bowlers a lot, especially those who bowl more at the death, because he knows the mindset of batsmen – what he is thinking.”
Bravo, one of the most successful IPL players, joined the decorated franchise as the bowling coach last year. The Super Kings are also the defending champions in 2023 and would like to continue its dominance in the marquee Indian league in 2024 season as well under the charismatic leadership of MS Dhoni.