Fast bowler Deepak Chahar recently grabbed the limelight for his match-winning knock in Colombo to help India beat Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI by 3 wickets. The right-arm quick batted phenomenally, scoring 69 not out during India’s chase of 276. As he gears up for the remainder of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in the UAE, Deepak revealed his journey from getting selected as a batting all-rounder for the Rising Pune Supergiants by coach Stephen Fleming in 2016 to landing in the Chennai Super Kings dressing room in 2018.
Deepak played for RPS for two seasons before bagging a CSK contract. The 29-year-old is recognised as a good swing bowler but he never misses out on a chance when his team needs him to perform with the bat. During a conversation with former India opener Aakash Chopra on YouTube, the right-arm quick revealed that he has been focusing on his batting skills since 2014.
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“When I was chosen for Pune in the IPL, (Stephen) Fleming Sir had actually selected me as a batting all-rounder, not a bowling all-rounder. During the first trial game, I scored 48 or 49. Next day, he promoted me to one-down and I scored a fifty. That’s how I was selected in the Pune team,” Deepak Chahar told Chopra.
“After Pune, I came to CSK. MS Dhoni likes players who can contribute in all departments. In 2018, he sent me ahead of himself in one of the games and I made 40-odd in 19-20 balls. But after that I didn’t get to bat much. I have been working on my batting since 2014 as there is too much competition in bowling. If you contribute with the bat, it gives you an edge during selection,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“After Pune, I came to CSK. MS Dhoni likes players who can contribute in all departments. In 2018, he sent me ahead of himself in one of the games and I made 40-odd in 19-20 balls. But after that I didn’t get to bat much. I have been working on my batting since 2014 as there is too much competition in bowling. If you contribute with the bat, it gives you an edge during selection,” he added.
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Dhoni-led CSK will lock horns with Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians in Dubai on Sunday. The clash will mark the beginning of the second phase of IPL 2021.