'Not going to be easy to come back' - Maninder Singh expresses concern on Deepak Chahar's India return

India will travel to Zimbabwe for their three-match ODI series, which commences on the 18th of August, Thursday. While most of the senior players have been rested for the series with the Asia Cup on the horizon, all eyes will be on the returning star Indian pacer Deepak Chahar. Former Indian spinner Maninder Singh gave his views on the upcoming series and reckoned that it won’t be easy for the star pacer on his return.

Deepak Chahar last featured for the Indian team in February before being sidelined with unfortunate injuries, which saw him miss the entire IPL 2022 tournament. The Zimbabwe series will be his first competitive game since February, and the cricketer turned commentator Maninder Singh stated that Chahar’s return after a long hiatus won’t be easy.

The former spinner went on to say that returning to international cricket after a lengthy layoff due to injury can take a perilous turn, and the team management will have to be careful in their handling of the extravagant swing bowler.

“Yeah, it has been a pretty long break, and he (Deepak Chahar) has had an injury. It is not very easy to come back into international cricket where you have had such a long break because of injury. He would need to be handled with care to start with, but I am sure the team management would know when to use him and when not to use him. He is a talented kid, but it is not going to be easy to come back after such a long injury,” Maninder told NDTV.

No doubt that Virat Kohli is mentally very strong and physically very fit: Maninder Singh

When asked about the omission of Virat Kohli from the series, who had requested rest, Maninder stated that the players should have clear communication with the selectors, and that his request for rest should be respected. He also stated that Kolhi is a great player and will come back strong given his incredible mental strength.

“I am sure there must have been a communication between the selectors and Virat Kohli. He is such a fantastic player, such a great player. As far as mental strength is concerned, which is the most important ingredient when you are playing international cricket, there is no doubt that Virat Kohli is mentally very strong and physically very fit. It is a matter of one innings, if he has communicated to the selectors that he needs more breaks, then we should respect that,” he added.