Deepak Chahar Given ODI Debut, Becomes 223rd Player to Represent India

Cricketnext Staff | Updated: September 25, 2018, 11:53 PM IST

Deepak Chahar became the 223rd player to represent India in ODIs after the fast bowler from Rajasthan made his debut against Afghanistan in Asia Cup on Tuesday. The ODI debut comes just two months after he got his India cap - when he played against England in the T20I series.

The 26-year-old had a nervous start to his ODI career though as he found himself in the firing line of Mohammad Shahzad's onslaught. The pacer later returned to claim his maiden wicket in the form of Gulbadin Naib for 15. His final returns on the day read 4-0-37-1.

Chahar's career graph has been on an upward trajectory ever since he made his debut in the Ranji Trophy at the age of 18 and dismantled the Hyderabad batting line-up for just 21 - which remains the lowest score in Indian domestic cricket. Chahar picked 8 for 10 and finished the season with 30 wickets.

Proud moment for @chahardeepak as he now becomes the 223rd player to represent #TeamIndia in ODIs 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/QqaAFf5rpV

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 25, 2018

However, injuries put him off the radar for a while and it was only in IPL under MS Dhoni that Chahar reached his true potential. First, he played for Rising Pune Supergiants before moving to Chennai Super Kings, where he was a vital cog of the title-winning team.

The 26-year-old picked 10 wickets at an average of 27.80. He impressed everyone with the new ball and Dhoni preferred using him at the top rather than the death overs.

Chahar in fact credited Dhoni and said he was a key reason in his grooming,

"He grooms the players. He used me more with the new ball. I had even asked him the reason behind not using me in the death overs, and he said that one should improve slowly. That’s something he practiced on the field as well. Initially, he would ask me to bowl a couple of overs, slowly he gave me a few more overs. Then in the last few matches, I was introduced in the 12th or the 13th over. He has a huge knowledge of how to use a particular player. That’s the reason he is such a great captain. He knows how to get the best out of a player, and that helped me. I doubt whether it would have been this easy had there been some other captain," Chahar had said to Sportstar.

His younger brother Rahul Chahar is a leg-break bowler who plays for the Mumbai Indians.