India bowler Deepak Chahar, who got included in the Indian squad as a replacement for Mukesh Kumar in the ongoing T20I series against Australia, aspires to play Test cricket.
He said that he will be ready for red-ball action and break the perception that he is predominantly a white-ball bowler.
Deepak sustained a hamstring injury that sidelined him for six crucial games during the IPL 2023. He missed the entire 2022 IPL season due to a back injury, which also ruled him out of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Deepak believes “increasing workload if told early” will develop him as a red-ball cricketer who can swing as well as extract from the pitch when needed.
"There is preparation involved in everything we do. If you look at it, my preparation was good for the Ranji Trophy and also for the IPL (last season). I will not be able to play a Test match if I am suddenly informed that I'll play a Test. For that matter, no one else probably can. If I am told one month in advance, then I'll prepare accordingly. I will increase my workload accordingly. I have the swing, I have the ideas, it's just that I'll need a month to prepare. I would love to play Tests for India," Deepak Chahar told Jio Cinema.
After a dominating performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, picking 10 wickets in just 5 matches, the Rajasthan pacer will be eyeing a place in the T20 World Cup that is scheduled to take place in 2024.
Dominant with swing bowling, Deepak has developed himself as a death specialist under the guidance of MS Dhoni playing for Chennai Super Kings. Despite the injury owes, Chahar managed to make a substantial impact in the matches he played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), picking up 13 wickets across 10 games in season 2023.
"I like all pitches except those that only favour batsmen. I prefer pitches that are either slow or those that have some grass. On those with grass, it's guaranteed that you will be hit in the later stages. The slower pitches don't have grip, so I prefer them because swing, I can extract in the air. I rely a lot on my slower balls and have also worked on new variations. I bowl the knuckleball. I now have developed a nice leg-cutter. The off-cutter works well for me. Also, I have worked on the slower bouncer," he added.
Deepak's inclusion in the squad will be a relief sign for India after losing the third match in the death overs at Guwahati. Prasidh Krishna, who bowled the most expensive T2OI spell on the day might pave the way for the swinger in the fourth T20I scheduled to be played in Raipur on Friday.
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