Deepak Chahar Drops "Very Lucky" Remark On Playing With MS Dhoni; Determined To Make India Comeback

The 31-year-old India National Cricket Team right-arm medium pacer Deepak Chahar has said that he considers himself very lucky that he got the opportunity to play with MS Dhoni for a long period. The pacer is also determined to make his India comeback after staying out of the scheme of things for a while.

Chahar has represented the India National Cricket Team in 13 ODIs and 24 T20Is, picking 16 and 29 wickets respectively. In the 50-over format, he has also made significant contributions with the bat as he has scored 203 runs at an average of 33.83.

He last played an ODI for India during the Bangladesh tour in December 2022 and his last T20I came during the South Africa series at home in October 2022. Currently, he is nowhere near India’s scheme of things in international cricket and one of the key reasons behind this is the number of injuries the pacer has unfortunately sustained in the past.

However, Deepak Chahar remains positive as he believes that injuries are part and parcel of sports and one should not be disappointed with that. He said that his main priority is to stay fit and return to the national team’s setup.

“A player should not get disappointed by injuries. These things are not in a player’s hands. My priority right now is to remain fit and be available for the team. I will give my 100 percent for the team whenever I get a chance,” Chahar told PTI Bhasha.

“In my case it can also be said that I was having a bad time. Last year I suffered a back injury, which is serious for a fast bowler but now I am completely fit. I am very happy with my bowling at the moment. I am trying to make a comeback into the national team. I recently played the RPL (Rajasthan Premier League) tournament. Till Sunday, I was at the National Cricket Academy. I was practicing with the Indian team, which is going to China for the Asian Games,” Deepak Chahar added.

I am very lucky that I got a chance to spend time with Mahi bhai – Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar further said that MS Dhoni is like his elder brother and he has learned a lot from the legendary cricketer over the years while playing with him at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I am very lucky that I got a chance to spend time with Mahi bhai (Dhoni). I have been playing with him for many years. I consider him as my elder brother and my idol. I respect him a lot as a player and human being. I have learned a lot from him.”

Deepak Chahar also spoke about his desire to play a World Cup and win it for India. The medium pacer elaborated:

“A cricketer’s dream is to play the World Cup and win it for the country. I will try to complete it whenever I get a chance. I have won many tournaments in my first appearance. It was my first Asia Cup when India won it in 2018. I have played five finals in the last six IPL seasons and have become champions thrice,” he said.

“I have not played the World Cup yet and whenever I get a chance, I want to contribute to the team’s victory.”