Long recovering from a back injury at the NCA, pacer Deepak Chahar was asked to head back home on Thursday (March 19) when the state-of-the-art facility in Bangalore was also shut down in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. And so, Chahar's training during this phase of rehabilitation has now been limited to his own academy in Agra. 

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"On March 19th the NCA was declared closed. Given the spread of coronavirus, it was the right decision to send everyone back home as we stay in hotels and eat food there itself. It is not safe in the current scenario," the Indian swing bowler himself told TOI in the latest update on his injury. 

Chahar aggravated a back injury while playing the second ODI of the series against West Indies in Vizag in December last year. 

The 27-year-old will be training alone at his father's academy, an opportunity he considers a blessing in disguise given the situation in the country, and keep his recovery on track. 

"Even our academy is shut, but I might practice alone there. In fact, two days ago I had ordered a few basic gym equipment, so that my exercise does not stop," he added. 

With the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League postponed until at least April 15 as part of the measures to tackle the COVID-19 threat, Deepak now has more time to be ready to turn up for Chennai Super Kings if the situation improves and the tournament indeed starts. 

"On the personal front, this (coronavirus problem) will give me extra time to get back on the track. Had IPL started on time, there was a possibility I would have missed out on a few initial games," added the medium-pacer, who has been an integral part of the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK line-up. 

(Inputs from TOI)