IPL 2018: Deepak Chahar Owes his Success to the Atmosphere at CSK

Star from the recent game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deepak Chahar, went on to credit his success to the atmosphere at Chennai Super Kings setup.

In the clash of the top two teams in the IPL so far, CSK won the match by a narrow margin of four runs. After clinching a couple of key wickets against Rajasthan Royals, Chahar chipped in with three early wickets with the new ball against SRH.

Along with his swing and movement, Chahar impressed with his economy as well, as he conceded only 13 in his four overs at a rate of 3.5.

Further, Chahar bowled 17 dot balls in his 24-ball spell, which is a remarkable achievement in T20 cricket.

After ending up on the winning side in yet another thriller, MS Dhoni’s side is now top of the tree as far as the points table is concerned.

“Obviously you would have done something right to win close matches,” Deepak Chahar told the media post victory at Hyderabad. “We have Captain Cool (MS Dhoni), the atmosphere in the CSK camp is like that of a family,” continued the swing bowler who played under Dhoni even in the RPS camp last year. “We take pride from these close finishes and feel better. Well, the reason why we keep winning such matches is we have MS Dhoni as captain. His advice during the huddles when Kane (Williamson) and Yusuf (Pathan) were batting well was just not to bowl to their strengths; to stick to a good line and length. And, importantly staying cool.”

Thereon, the bowler from Rajasthan, who took heaps of wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, went on to describe the culture at CSK.

“I am playing (with the franchise) for the first time, but each player feels like that. They get motivated to give their 100 percent. If you watch us closely while fielding, you will find that our attitude is very different. When I am on the field, I am not distracted even for a second. The focus and the will to win matters a lot” continued Chahar.

Also Read: IPL 2018: Mahendra Singh Dhoni Lavishes Praise on Ambati Rayudu

CSK’s selection policies were debated prior to the start of the tournament with a number of players on the wrong side of 30.

However, Stephen Fleming’s policy turned out to be the theme of the tournament, as the likes of Gayle, Watson and Bravo have dominated this season.

Age is just a number: Deepak Chahar

“They say age is just a number. One gets experience with age, which is something we are getting to see. In so many close matches you need experience,” Chahar said.

Also Read: IPL 2018: Match 20, SRH vs CSK – Chennai Super Kings Players’ Ratings

“On the field, when you are not doing well you get advice from a bowler who has taken 400 wickets (Dwayne Bravo), or Shane Watson who has played so many matches. When an experienced player gives you advice you start thinking. It is helping us,” stated the man snubbed by Greg Chappell back in 2008 when just 16.

CSK are now on top of the table. Credits: IPL

His bowling efforts were eclipsed by the brilliance of Ambati Rayudu with the bat, against who he lost out on the MoM award.

Rayudu struck a matchwinning 78 on a seemingly difficult pitch to bat, at his home ground.

“The ball was coming on slow to the batsmen when we (Chennai Super Kings) were batting. There was a bounce on the wicket, but the ball was coming on slow. The wicket had some support in terms of pace when we started with our bowling,” the 25-year-old said.

“There was a good bounce if the ball was put in the right areas. With the strong breeze, the ball was moving around as well. It is always good for a fast bowler if there’s bounce and swing,” concluded Deepak Chahar.