'Bowled in a match after 5 months': Deepak Chahar announces comeback, drops teaser on Instagram

Deepak Chahar shared a video on Instagram in which he can be seen bowling with the red ball, and looked to have settled into a rhythm already.

After being sidelined for over three months due to injury woes, pacer Deepak Chahar is making rapid progress. India's white-ball specialist shared a video of him rolling his arms in a club match after completing the rehabilitation programme at National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and hopes to make a comeback to the top flight soon. Chahar had sustained a hamstring injury while playing in the home series against West Indies in February.

Deepak Chahar returns to action in red-ball match (Screengrab)

Despite being injured, Chahar was picked by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping price of ₹14 crore in the mega auctions and was expected to return to action in the latter stage of the T20 tournament. However, he injured his back during the rehabilitation programme, following which he was entirely ruled out of the tournament.

On Tuesday morning Chahar shared a video on Instagram in which he can be seen bowling with the red ball, and looked to have settled into a rhythm already. He captioned the post: "Bowled in a match after 5 months, felt equally happy when I made my debut," indicating how significant it is to him that his body is feeling well again after spending a significant amount of time on the sidelines.

Chahar's return will be a good sign for India, especially with the T20 World Cup approaching. His ability to swing the ball both ways and maintain a consistent line and length in white ball cricket, and his batting an ability gives him an edge over others. He guided India to a successful run chase against Sri Lanka last year despite a top order collapse.

Speaking to PTI last month, Chahar outlined his comeback plans and said: "I am bowling four to five overs at one go as per my rehab programme right now," Chahar had said. "My recovery is going pretty well and I think it will take another four to five weeks for me to get match fit."

"It's a step-by-step process as far as recovery is concerned. Once I am match fit, I will need to play some club level games to check my fitness."

Chahar isn't part of India's plans for the upcoming series against West Indies beginning on July 22, but with the tour of Zimbabwe, the Asia Cup, and a 5-match series against Australia all occurring before the T20 World Cup, the Chahar will be hoping he is given an opportunity to earn a spot on the plane.