Deepak Chahar is fighting fit and raring to go, whenever cricket resumes.
Just as he was looking set to cement his place in India’s limited-overs team, the medium pacer’s back injury aggravated in mid-December and he missed the home series against Australia and Sri Lanka and the away tour to New Zealand.
Being the player with the best bowling figures (6/7 versus Bangladesh in Nagpur last November) in T20Is, Chahar has since recovered and is now looking forward to the official fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
While he was out of action, the 27-year-old also focused on dealing with his knee problems and other niggles that were a constant threat to his fitness.
“I have recovered and I’m fully fit now. So whenever cricket resumes and be it any format, I’ll be available to play,” Chahar told The Telegraph from his residence in Agra.
“I have the confidence of doing even better. The minor niggles I used to have and a knee issue that used to bug me are also no longer there. I am training in our academy here and thereafter, I’ll go to the NCA for an official fitness test once it reopens.”
The cricketer has been training at the Chahar Cricket Academy in Agra and staying fit — one of the best ways to deal with this period of standstill. Chahar also highlighted the impact his father and coach, Lokander Singh Chahar, has had on him.
“I’ve been training under my father’s supervision and guidance. He has played a big role in my progress. He quit his job in the air force in 2004 and became a cricket coach.
“Since then, he has been coaching us — me and my cousin Rahul (leg-spinner) — and tracking our progress,” Chahar said.
Had circumstances been normal, Chahar might already have made his comeback, donning the Chennai Super Kings jersey in the IPL.
“A good IPL would have meant one could brighten one’s chances of being picked for the T20 World Cup squad. But at the moment, we are unsure of everything,” he said.
The prolonged phase of inaction in the world of sports, Chahar asserted, hasn’t affected him at all. “First, all of us want normality to be back in life. Sport can come later. If cricket restarts very late, I’m mentally prepared for that. The game will resume only when everything is on track.
“I’m getting an extra bit of time to prepare even better and sharpen my skills. I’ve been doing everything necessary to keep myself fit. The gym weights are also brought home, so I’m not missing out on anything.
“Apart from such preparations and exercises, we’re providing food daily to the poor people here, which they need in this time of crisis. So I’m just not letting any kind of instability creep in,” he signed off.
