Picture Credit: BCCI
Indian fast bowler Deepak Chahar played a pivotal role in India’s victory against Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI in the Island nation. The 29-year-old cricketer, who is known more for his fast bowling skills, turned the game with the bat as he scored 69* off 82 balls to help India win the series. After showing his worth with the bat, Chahar revealed what his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni messaged him after their victory.
Dhoni’s message made Chahar’s night more special
In a conversation with his IPL side CSK, Deepak Chahar revealed “After that innings, he (MS Dhoni) messaged me for batting- ‘Very well played!’ so that was a very good moment for me”. Chahar stated that MS Dhoni picked him in the CSK squad for his batting and also recalled a game from the 2018 season when Dhoni promoted Chahar up the batting order.
“He picked me in the team because of my batting only. When I was in the Pune side (RPSG), I was picked as a batting all-rounder. In 2018, he sent me before him in one of the games. In that I scored 40 odd runs…,” said Chahar.
Chahar talks about his strategy in his heroics innings
Deepak Chahar also talked about his batting strategy in the second ODI against Sri Lanka at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. He revealed that he was aiming to play the complete overs. “…When I padded up, I saw wickets falling and when I was next. I was not thinking about winning the match, I was just thinking about playing all the overs so that we can take the match closer, and when the match gets close, anything can happen”.
He states that he targeted the weakest bowler to score runs while respecting the ones who were bowling well. “That particular match, I was playing what the situation demanded. I was taking the risk on the weakest bowler of that team. Hasaranga and Chameera were bowling really well, so my target was to play them off and target other bowlers,” Chahar added.
Deepak Chahar has missed out on the 15- man squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup but he is one of the three reserves kept in for the marquee event.