Grand launch: Arik De, Chief Revenue Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways with Rakesh Singh, Director of CSKCL with players Deepak, Hangargekar, Mukesh and Simarjit at the event.
| Photo Credit: RAGU R
Indian pacer Deepak Chahar is raring to go in the upcoming Indian Premier League, knowing it could help him get in contention for the T20 World Cup later in the year in the USA and the West Indies.
The 31-year-old played only one T20 International last year and had to skip the South Africa white-ball tour for personal reasons.
“I took some time out because of my father’s illness. After that, I started practising. The next six months are crucial with the IPL and World Cup,” said Chahar on the sidelines of an event in the city to announce Etihad Airways’ partnership with Chennai Super Kings.
“It is an important IPL because everyone knows the Indian team will be picked based on the performances in the IPL. Otherwise, most of the time you have the set-up, and you know already these are the players we are going to look for. But this IPL, whoever performs well will get the chance,” he added. Despite missing out on national duty, Chahar saw the bright side of things in that he could train while being fully fit.
“I have not got the time to be fit and do training. In the last two and a half years, I was either playing or doing rehab. You need to train when you are fully fit. That is when you can gain strength, which will help in increasing the pace.”
When asked if he is worried about going down in the pecking order after missing crucial series like the one in South Africa, the Super Kings pacer said, “I know I bring value to them with bat and ball whenever I play for any side. You need that confidence if you want to make a comeback. Thinking about others going ahead is extra pressure I don’t want to take. I know if I am 100% fit and playing matches, I will do better than others. That’s how I think. If I am fit and available for selection, I think I will be selected.”
