Deepak Chahar scored his maiden ODI fifty and played his part in helping India to beat Sri Lanka in the second ODI in Colombo on Thursday. Since then he has drawn a lot of accolades for his batting prowess with some even started seeing him as an ann-rounder. Chahar was involved in an unbeaten 84-run stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar as India won the game by three wickets. Chahar scored 69 off 82 balls as he batted with patience and took India home.

Meanwhile, talking to the Telegraph former Indian selector Devang Gandhi said that he sees Deepak Chahar picked ahead of Shardul Thakur as an all-rounder In T20Is. Thakur also has batted well for India in recent times and made a case for his inclusion in all formats. He played a few good knocks against Australia, to make a case for himself.

Deepak Chahar’s Rise As A T20I All-Rounder

“Death bowling has been his concern, but he’s looking to address it. The focus should be on the primary skill, which is Deepak’s bowling. Now if he can keep batting well, it will of course be a boost to India’s lower order. However, in T20Is, Deepak will be my first choice, especially when compared to someone like Shardul Thakur, because he can swing the ball,” Gandhi told The Telegraph.

India were 193 for 7 in the 36th over when Krunal Pandya was dismissed chasing 276 to win. In the next 15 odd overs, Bhuvi and Chahar did the unthinkable when the odds were stacked against them.

Before his matchwinning knock with the bat, Chahar took two for 53 after having a couple of catches dropped from the early overs in his spell.

Chahar shining with the bat has increased India’s options for looking all all-rounders for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be played later this year between October-November.

Also Read: “Remind So Much of MS Dhoni” – Twitter In Awe Of Deepak Chahar’s Batting Masterclass

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