‘He promoted me to one-down and I scored a fifty’ – Deepak Chahar recalls his IPL selection

Deepak Chahar has certainly made a name of himself in the last few years. Hailing from Rajasthan, the right-arm bowler can swing the ball both ways and the bucket of variations in his arsenal makes him even more lethal. Adding to this, Chahar is also a handy batter lower down the order and has shown his blitzes at the international level as well. All these factors make Chahar a captain’s delight in white-ball cricket.

Notably, the right-arm pacer is among the many talented Indian players who burst onto the scenes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). During the 2016 auction, Chahar was picked by the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants as a batting all-rounder. While he played just a handful of matches in the first two seasons for RPSG, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) picked him in the 2018 auction and Chahar didn’t look back after that.

Notably, CSK’s current head coach Stephen Fleming and captain MS Dhoni served the Pune-based side in the 2016 and 2017 IPL. Recalling his maiden IPL call-up, Chahar revealed how he bagged a contract with the Supergiants.

Stephen Fleming had selected me as a batting all-rounder: Deepak Chahar

“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 said while featuring in former Indian opener Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel.

“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.

Meanwhile, Chahar will next be seen in the second leg of IPL 2021. He bowled exceptionally well in the first half and won’t mind replicating his brilliance. Not to forget, Chahar has been named a stand-by player in India’s T20 World Cup squad. Hence, he must be ready to take the field if need arises during the gala tournament.