ICC World Cup 2019: Why Deepak Chahar Is The Right Man As India's No. 4 Pacer

India will announce their World Cup on Monday (April 15). While most of the spots in the squad are more or less fixed, there are couple of spots that are bound to give the selectors a tough time. One of the spots is for the fourth pacer. India will have to look out for a new name after their experiment with Khaleel Ahmed did not yield desired results. The left-arm pacer was being tried out since last year but his performance in Australia and New Zealand left a lot to be desired.

The selectors later named Siddharth Kaul in the squad for the series against Australia but the pacer did not play a single game. On the other hand, the likes of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have fallen down the pecking order in ODIs. So the selectors are set to have a tough time when they sit down to pick the pacer who will be backup to Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami.

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Well, one name can be Deepak Chahar.  Chahar has been pivotal in Chennai Super Kings’ success since 2018. Chahar owes his success mostly because of his bowling in the powerplays. Since the comeback of Super Kings last year, Chahar has been Dhoni’s main weapon during the first six overs of the game. He mostly bowls out his spell in the first half of the innings and has been the best in the business so far. Chahar’s impressive numbers are primarily due to his effective use by skipper MS Dhoni.

Not only he managed to pick up wickets up the front but also have been successful in keeping the run-rate at check. Since the start of 2018 IPL, Chahar bowled with an economy rate of 6.71 during the Powerplays which is  better than the next best by a good margin. He has replicated the performances of Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the 2016 and 2017 season except the death bowling. Chahar’s unsung performances have also impressed the coach Stephen Fleming who admired the paceman’s consistency at the beginning of innings.

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During the Powerplays, Chahar has bowled 319 balls to take 18 wickets at an average of 20 and an economy rate of 6.80. He was also used most number of time by MS Dhoni as he bowled 265 balls in the powerplays since 2018. The numbers suggest that Chahar’s performance is a key factor in Super Kings’s success. His valiant efforts had also earned him a national cap last year. Given that he has delivered so well in India, he is more than likely to do well in the favourable conditions of England.

Moreover, he has already proved his worth in England with his performance for India A last year. In the tri-series featuring England Lions and West Indies A, he had picked up a staggering 16 wickets including a five-wicket haul in just 6 games.