Maninder Singh also opened up about the extended break given to Virat Kohli.
Former India spinner Maninder Singh has suggested the Indian team management should handle Deepak Chahar with care as the pacer is making a comeback after a long break due to injury and it will not be easy for him to make an instant impact in international cricket.
Chahar was out of action since February this year but is all set to make a comeback in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, starting on Thursday (August 18) in Harare.
In a conversation with NDTV, Maninder Singh said: “Yeah, it has been a pretty long break and he (Deepak Chahar) has had an injury. It is not very easy to comeback into international cricket where you have had such a long break because of injury.”
He further added, “He would need to be handled with care to start with but I am sure, the team management would know when to use him and when not to use him. He is a talented kid but it is not going to be easy to come back after such a long injury.”
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli was rested for the ODI series against Zimbabwe, and the former left-arm spinner felt it was the former skipper’s decision to extend his break to get into the right mindset before the Asia Cup 2022, as the right-hander had been struggling for runs for a long time.
Maninder said: “I am sure there must have been a communication between the selectors and Virat Kohli. He is such a fantastic player, such a great player. If he needed more break, then he would have communicated to the selectors. I had heard during the IPL that he was batting for hours in the nets but sometimes what happens is when you are not in form and you keep trying too hard, you keep making mistakes.
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And I think some of the great cricketers have said that he needs break, Virat Kohli must have realised that I need to get away from the game for 3-4 months, and comeback rejuvenated. As far as mental strength is concerned, which is the most important ingredient when you are playing international cricket, there is no doubt that Virat Kohli is mentally very strong, physically very fit. It is a matter of one innings, if he has communicated to the selectors that he needs more break, then we should respect that.”
Zimbabwe will be confident after winning both the ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh, according to the former cricketer, and will give India a tough fifth ODI match.
He signed off by saying, “I would still say on paper, that the Indian team is a lot better than Zimbabwe. After beating Bangladesh, Zimbabwe's confidence must be really high. The attitude of the Zimbabwe team has changed, there is no doubt about that and they will give competition to India, but I still my favourites would be India.”
(NDTV inputs)