Indian pacer Deepak Chahar said watching how MS Dhoni finishes the matches has been a big factor in him winning the second ODI for India against Sri Lanka in Colombo on July 20 (Tuesday).
Chahar played a brilliant knock of 69* at no.8, as well as, stitched an unbroken match-winning 84-run stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (19*) for the 8th wicket to help India beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets in the second ODI on July 20 (Tuesday) in Colombo.
He also scalped two wickets in the same game and was awarded the Player of the Match award.
His efforts helped India to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka with the third and last ODI to be played on July 23 (Friday) at the same venue R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.
Chahar said during a virtual press conference: “Watching MS Dhoni close out matches has been a big factor. I have watched him for a long period and I have always seen him finishing matches. When you talk to him, he always tells you to take the game deep. Everyone wants us to win, but when the match goes deep, it is thrilling for everyone involved.”
The 28-year-old also said the tags don’t matter to him since he is now seen as an all-rounder by some people and even earlier considered himself as an all-rounder.
He further explained, “I have always worked on my batting; my father has been my coach. When I talk to him, we always talk about my batting. It does not matter whether people see me as an all-rounder or not. The batsman who is playing alongside me will get confidence that I can hang around and will not give my wicket away. It is very important for a batsman to know that his partner will support him. It does not matter whether people see me as an all-rounder or not.”
Explaining how coach Rahul Dravid helped him script the win in the 2nd ODI, Deepak Chahar said: “Rahul Dravid is coaching the senior side for the first time, but he has been there with the A-side and I have played under his guidance and coaching. There have been times that a situation has arisen of the batsmen being dismissed and me being out there in the middle. I have played good knocks for India A and that is why Rahul sir has the confidence in me. It always helps you when the coach backs you. It is always there at the back of your mind that the coach backs you.”
He continued, “When I was batting with Krunal, my role was different, I had to rotate the strike. When Bhuvneshwar came in, it was there in the back of my mind that do I need to play my shots? But the way he started, he was looking comfortable and it gave me confidence. His batting gave me the boost and I was not required to take the risks.”
Chahar said on being asked whether he is aiming to play in the T20 World Cup 2021, “World Cup is far away, I have just one target and it is to prove myself with both bat and ball. The selection is not in my hands, it is not in the hands of any player. We can just perform, I was looking for an opportunity to show my capability with the bat. For the past two years, I did not get a chance to bat for a long period, so it was a good opportunity. I am happy I was able to make use of this chance.”
The pacer also revealed that he has been looking to work on his bowling and add variations. He said, “I have been playing the T20 format for a while, and if you do not have variations in that format, it can get easy for the batsmen. Swing is dependent on the wicket and conditions, but if you get variations, you can hold your own in this format. I took a wicket on the knuckleball in the last game.”
Chahar signed off by sharing the messages he got from the England squad, “After the last game, coaches congratulated me from England and even Virat Bhai (Virat Kohli) sent a congratulatory message. He told me well played, it obviously feels nice when such big players take note of your performance. It gives the balance to the side if you can come in at number eight and play well with the bat.”
(With ANI Inputs)
