Srinagar: Having been out of Team India squad for long now due to injury, all-rounder Deepak Chahar has compared himself to India star all rounder Hardik Pandya.
He has said that he can bowl at 140 kph and also can contribute with the bat.
“Process is simple. When I wasn’t playing for India, even then I used to follow this process and it hasn’t changed even now. When I was struggling in my state team and used to say to my teammates that one day I’ll play for India, they would laugh at me. I believed back then as well that if I can bowl around 140 kph, swing the ball both ways, I will not have any trouble getting batters out. And if I can bat a bit, he will always have a place in the Indian team – now and even 10-15 years later. I want to reach that level and I know once I’m there, the performance will follow and I will get selected automatically too. I want that today as well, to bowl in 140s, swing both way and contribute with bat,” Chahar told Sports Tak
A stress fracture in the back ruled Chahar out of last year’s World Cup in Australia, and when he seemed to have recovered, the India quick suffered a Grade 3 tear in his quad during the second ODI against Bangladesh in December. His journey back into the team Indian will go through a stern challenge during the IPL, where not only Chahar’s skills, but his fitness will go through a litmus test.
“Competition is tough so you obviously will have to distinguish yourself from the rest. Batting is a plus for me since I’ve been doing it since I was a child. I have focussed always on it. Last year I got opportunities so I was able to score runs. If I get a chance to make matches and win matches, I will try my best. Look at Hardik Pandya – he does all three things; bowl quick, swing and bat; no one can take his place in the Indian team 1 or 2 years from now. He is the No. 1 all-rounder in the world because he can do all three. So it’s not just me; if any player can do that, he will warrant a place in the team,” he added.