I have to be selective now or else I won’t be able to survive: Deepak Chahar

Medium-pacer Deepak Chahar has had a phenomenal run in the last year in T20 cricket. His ability to pick up wickets with the new ball made him regular in the Indian T20 squad in 2019. Chahar, who has picked 32 wickets across 19 games in the last two seasons, playing for the Chennai Super Kings, is currently out of action due to a stress fracture in his back. He picked up this injury during the recently concluded West Indies ODI series. Since then, the pace bowler is out of action and trying to recover.

Chahar has so far played 10 T20Is for India, in which he has picked 17 wickets at an average of just 14.76. He made his debut against England in 2018. The pacer made headlines when he picked 6/7 against Bangladesh in the T20 series in Nagpur. These are the best bowling figures in T20 cricket for any bowler.

In an interview with Telegraph, Chahar told, “The stress fracture is mainly due to playing excess cricket. Therefore, I have to be selective now or else I won’t be able to survive”.

Deepak Chahar reveals his main objective

While playing for the Chennai Super Kings, Chahar has been a regular feature in their side in the last two years. The pitch at Chepauk has suited his style of bowling, and he has scalped plenty of wickets. The 27-year-old from Rajasthan is now targeting IPL to mark his return in competitive cricket.

Chahar said, “My objective is to keep performing better, but I will also be doing required training and exercises so that I regain my lost pace. Since I was playing continuous matches, I lost around two-three kilometers of pace”.

During the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy season, Chahar burst onto the scene while playing for Rajasthan, as a military medium pacer. He was able to pick wickets in domestic cricket, but he soon realized that his pace would not work in international cricket.

“I knew if I need to succeed at the highest level I need to increase my pace. I knew I had to bowl at 140. Since I was a child, I had tried to go to 140 from 135 because that’s the deadliest ball. But I realised, you can face 150 on a flat pitch, but if it swings at around 140 it’s more difficult,” Chahar had said during the recently concluded West Indies series.