Indian pacer Deepak Chahar justified his decision to refrain from participating in the ODI segment of the South African tour due to his father’s brain stroke. Although initially selected for both the ODI and T20I squads, the 31-year-old withdrew from the 50-over side, citing personal emergency reasons.
The T20I series concluded with a 1-1 draw, followed by the ODIs where India emerged victorious with a 2-1 margin. In a private conversation with PTI, Chahar expressed that opting out of the South Africa series for the sake of his father was a straightforward decision.
“For me, my father comes first. I am here only because of him. Whatever I have achieved is because of my father. If I am not there for him in those situations, then obviously, what kind of son am I? If the series was in India, then I would have surely tried to play. You can come to the hospital if you need within 4-5 hours. But obviously, (from) South Africa it takes 2-3 days to come back,” said Chahar.
He further added: “It was an easy decision to be with my father — any son would do that. I was with my father in the hospital for 25 days. He was not in Agra. He was admitted in Aligarh. We all had to stay there.”
Although Chahar hasn’t participated in ODIs since December 2022, he was part of the penultimate T20I during the home series against Australia before the South African tour.
“I couldn’t participate in two T20 World Cups due to my injuries”- Deepak Chahar
Expressing his determination, Deepak Chahar conveyed his eagerness to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the U.S.A. in June. Despite being in contention for selection in the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup squads, the fast bowler has yet to make an appearance in the prestigious tournament.
Chahar also emphasized the significance of having a pace-bowling all-rounder in the lower order within the T20 setup, stating:
“I have missed two (T20) World Cups because of my injuries. If I was fully fit, I would have been a part of the World Cup team as well. In any scenario or (in) any team combination, there is always a requirement for a bowler who can bat at No. 7, 8, 9. I have done that and scored runs for the Indian team.”
The cricketer from Uttar Pradesh explained the reasons behind his non-participation in the recent T20Is against Afghanistan that took place after the South African tour.
“I was only able to do some exercises. I was not able to do any cricketing activities. That’s why I was not ready for the Afghanistan series. I had not practised for a month or so. After that I went to the NCA. I started my practice again and now I am fully fit. Everything is good. I trained really hard for the IPL and the World Cup,” concluded Deepak Chahar.
Since making his national debut in 2018, Chahar has participated in 13 ODIs and 25 T20Is. Over this period, he has secured a total of 47 wickets, which includes a remarkable performance of 6/7 in a T20I against Bangladesh.
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