Deepak Chahar's return doubtful till March or April, confirms MSK Prasad

India’s latest bowling sensation Deepak Chahar has suffered a huge injury setback that is set to keep him on the sidelines for a considerable amount of time. Deepak Chahar has been one of the revelations of this ongoing home season for Team India. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he grabbed his chances with both the hands.

He impressed one and all with his ability to bowl in the powerplay as well as towards the end of the innings. His best performance came during the Nagpur T20I against Bangladesh last month when he picked up a sensational 6 wickets for just 7 runs that also included a hat-trick. Just a couple of days after that, he narrowly missed another hat-trick, this time for Rajasthan in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The fine performances in T20Is also helped him break into the T20I side for the series against West Indies. He played in the first two games before being ruled out due to a back injury. Navdeep Saini had replaced him in the team for the third and final ODI.

MSK Prasad opens up on Deepak Chahar’s injury

Chief of India’s senior selection panel, MSK Prasad has given a worrying update on Deepak Chahar. The former India wicketkeeper has said that he is doubtful over whether Chahar would be able to play before March or April. Prasad’s comments came after he announced the squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka and ODI series against Australia.

“I have my own doubts about Deepak Chahar till March-April,” Prasad told reporters. Prasad added that the Kohli-side has their back-up ready to replace the injured pacer as far as the forthcoming series with Australia and Sri Lanka are concerned. “We have enough back-ups ready across all formats across all disciplines so Indian cricket need not worry for 6-7 years,” said MSK Prasad as quoted by TimesNow.

The injury will be a huge blow for Deepak Chahar as the other bowlers could now capitalise and put them ahead of him in contention for a spot in the team for next year’s T20 World Cup. Chahar will not only miss the series against Sri Lanka and Australia but also the tour of New Zealand where India are scheduled to play as many as five T20Is.

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