SA vs IND: Deepak Chahar gets emotional as his valiant fifty goes in vain

The recently-concluded third ODI between South Africa and India was nothing short of a nail-biter. Momentum was on a roller-coaster ride in the game as the proceedings went right down to the wire. South Africa eventually won the contest by four runs but not before Deepak Chahar played a splendid knock. Chasing 288 for victory in Cape Town, India looked in all sorts of trouble after being reduced to 210/6.

The required run rate was constantly going up while all the recognized Indian batters were back in the hut. South Africa’s win looked a mere formality at this point. However, Deepak Chahar arrived in the middle and put up a batting exhibition. He advanced to his second ODI fifty as India suddenly found themselves on the driver’s seat. With the help of five boundaries and two sixes, Chahar scored 54 off mere 34 deliveries.

Deepak Chahar’s second ODI fifty couldn’t take India over the line

However, Lungi Ngidi dismissed him when India need just 10 for a win. The tail-enders couldn’t contribute much as South Africa crossed the line, clinching the series 3-0. Needless to mention, Chahar was left heart-broken seeing his valiant efforts going in vain. The bowling all-rounder was spotted in tears as the Men in Blue failed to cross the line. The video of the incident went viral in no time as Twitterati heaped praises on the 29-year-old.

It must be noted that Chahar showcased glimpses of his batting skills in an ODI against Sri Lanka last year. The right-handed batter scored 62 off 82 to take India to a famous win in Colombo. Although his second ODI fifty didn’t turn out to be match-winning, Indian skipper KL Rahul lavished massive praises on the dasher.

“Deepak gave us a real chance of winning the game. Quite an exciting game, just disappointed we ended up on the losing side. We gave ourselves a real chance, something we can learn from and get better,” said Rahul in the post-match presentation. Meanwhile, Chahar, who was playing his first game of the tour, also took a couple of wickets in the game. Hence, selectors now have many reasons to consider him as a regular all-round option in the playing XI.