Experience of playing for CSK in IPL will help me in international cricket: Debutant Tushar Deshpande

After a couple of good seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Tushar Deshpande was called up for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. In the presence of Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar, he failed to break into the squad and had to wait for an opportunity, which arrived in the fourth match of the ongoing series. He replaced Avesh, who was given a break to manage his workload.

After receiving the cap, Deshpande opened up and stated that he was very happy to be able to represent India in international cricket. The 29-year-old added that playing for Chennai Super Kings helped him in his career and believed the experience would help him make a mark on the international stage. The Mumbai-born also talked about the atmosphere in the stadium, which was electric, given that it was a full house in Harare.

Also Read: ZIM vs IND 2024: Why is Avesh Khan not playing fourth T20I?

“Very happy to be here. It all goes back to my childhood days, when I dreamt of playing for my country. Being here wearing the blue feels very proud. It means a lot to me. The atmosphere is really great here. Playing for CSK in the IPL helped me. That experience will surely help me in the internationals. I started as a batsman, so that comes naturally to me, looking to refine it and I have been working on it. Overall, the atmosphere in the team is chill,” Deshpande said ahead of the match on Saturday.

In the match, he picked up the wicket of Sikandar Raza, who departed for 46 runs off 28 balls. Deshpande bowled three overs and gave away 30 runs, which may jeopardize his position in the final game of the series, especially with Avesh and Mukesh waiting in the wings. However, in case he manages to earn an opportunity, Deshpande needs to produce a better performance to seal his spot for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, which will begin later in the month.