‘I can bowl 140 kph, can bat and swing both ways..’: India all-rounder hopes to emulate Hardik Pandya

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India fast bowler Deepak Chahar has been battling fitness issues for over a year. Prior to being sidelined by injuries, Chahar’s stock was rapidly rising, with Chennai Super Kings investing a whopping Rs 14 crore in him at the IPL mega auction last year.

However, he was unable to play a single match for CSK in IPL 2022 due to a back injury. The arduous struggle to stay fit forced him to miss several significant tournaments, including the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

The 30-year-old, however, used that time to go back to the fundamentals and focus on enhancing his fitness. He worked diligently to ensure that he was in peak physical condition, so that he could make a triumphant return to the field.

With the ever-increasing competition for a coveted spot on the senior cricket team, Chahar is acutely aware of what he must do to stay in the running. He is determined to remain a viable contender in the race for a place on the team.

“Process is simple. When I wasn’t playing for India, even then I used to follow this process and it hasn’t changed even now. When I was struggling in my state team and used to say to my teammates that one day I’ll play for India, they would laugh at me. I believed back then as well that if I can bowl around 140 kph, swing the ball both ways, I will not have any trouble getting batters out. And if I can bat a bit, I will always have a place in the Indian team – now and even 10-15 years later,” Chahar told Sports Tak.

“I used to focus on only one thing – the day I can consistently bowl around 140kph, swing the ball both ways, there won’t be any problem getting anyone out. With the bat, I want to contribute as much as possible. A fast bowler who can bat as well will always have a place in the Indian team. My only motive is to reach that level. Performance and selection will follow,” he added.

Chahar highlighted the rarity of a quality fast-bowling allrounder, noting that there is less competition in that space.

“There’s less competition for a fast bowling allrounder. There’s just Hardik Pandya, he’s world’s No. 1 allrounder and he always will have a place whether he plays today or after a year. A player with such skillset has value,” Chahar said.

Chahar is already envisioning taking the field for CSK in the IPL in front of a raucous crowd. The season will kick off when the defending champions, the Gujarat Titans, welcome CSK to Ahmedabad on March 31.

“I have bowled the first ball of the IPL season on three occasions and soon as the schedule for the 2023 edition was announced, I saw we have the inaugural match that will give me a chance to bowl the first ball on fourth occasion and I am pretty excited about. I am visualising myself bowling in front of a packed Ahmedabad crowd,” Chahar said.

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