After a few quiet years, does Deepak Chahar have a chance to make the T20 World Cup squad?

After battling injuries and taking time away from the game to be with his ailing father, Deepak Chahar has set sights on a strong IPL to remain in fray for a T20 World Cup berth. Since Chennai Super Kings’ win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL final last year, the medium pacer has only featured in eight matches across formats – including a T20I against Australia – before he sought a break for family reasons.

Earmarked as a perfect replacement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chahar has overcome a tough couple of years. Despite the injuries and the time he has spent away from the game, that the selectors and the team management haven’t shut the door on him was evident when he was picked for the recent T20Is against Australia. However, with his father suffering a brain stroke, Chahar was granted a break. After returning to the game, he is set to use the IPL as a launch pad.

“I’d to be with my family, which was more important. After that, I’ve started practising and generally, you don’t get one and a half or two months’ time to train properly because you are playing some series or the other. It was a great time to work on my body because the next six months are crucial with the IPL and a World Cup,” Chahar said on the sidelines of an event where Etihad Airways was announced as CSK’s official sponsor.

Cherry Swings and Hangar Strikes! An evening of smiles and Yellove all around! 🫂💛 pic.twitter.com/DXYdgI0cJf

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Though Chahar has struggled with his fitness over the last few years (back and hamstring), he made an impact in the matches that he featured in. In the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, he took 10 wickets in five matches, and also scored at a strike rate of 171.79 in the cameos he played. It is this all-round ability that has kept the team management and selectors interested in him as India don’t have many other seamers capable of contributing with the willow with Shardul Thakur also falling out of favour. A good outing for CSK in the IPL could make Chahar an exciting prospect, more so as he is capable of striking early in the Powerplay.

“It’s an important IPL for everyone because this is the first time everyone knows that the Indian squad (for the World Cup) will be decided based on the performance in the IPL. You know the set-up – these are the players they’re going to look for. Whoever performs well in this IPL will get the chance. Obviously, it puts additional extra pressure, but I believe in my strengths. Whichever team I’ve played for, I’ve contributed with bat and ball. It doesn’t matter who is ahead of me,” Chahar said.

For a bowler who was touching the mid-140kmph during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the constant injuries meant he lost a few yards of pace. And having spent the last few months only on training and getting the strength back, Chahar said skill-wise, he is feeling at his best. “This is the right time for me to increase my pace. I’m trying to develop a few shots with the bat too because when you come in at No.8 or No.9, you only get to play 3-4 balls. So you have to utilise those balls with different shots,” Chahar said.

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For a bowler who was seen as one-dimensional, with MS Dhoni mostly using his quota up front with the new ball, Chahar has also been working with Dwayne Bravo to improve his death bowling. “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, especially about the mindset of batsmen at the death. You need to understand that to be good at the death,” Chahar added.

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