He'd Need to be Handled With Care': Former Spinner Says Comeback Won't be Easy for Deepak Chahar

Fast bowler Deepak Chahar will be back in action when India take on Zimbabwe in the first ODI of the three-match series on Thursday in Harare. The right-arm quick was sidelined with injuries, which made him miss the entire season of IPL 2022. If given a chance on Thursday, it will be his first competitive game since February.

Chahar has worked hard on his fitness. He was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru where he underwent a brief rehabilitation program. After regaining his fitness, he returned to the Indian dressing room and is set to play for the country.

Meanwhile, former India spinner Maninder Singh has opined that it won’t be easy for Chahar as he is coming back after a 4-month hiatus. Speaking with NDTV, Singh said the Indian team management will have to be careful while handling the young right-arm quick.

“Yeah, it has been a pretty long break, and he (Deepak Chahar) has had an injury. It is not very easy to come back into international cricket where you have had such a long break because of injury. He would need to be handled with care to start with, but I am sure the team management would know when to use him and when not to use him. He is a talented kid, but it is not going to be easy to come back after such a long injury," Maninder told NDTV.

The former Indian cricketer also spoke about Virat Kohli’s poor run. Maninder said the former Indian skipper is mentally strong and will soon find his lost batting mojo. The former added that Kohli’s decision of taking a break from cricket must be respected.

“I am sure there must have been a communication between the selectors and Virat Kohli. He is such a fantastic player, such a great player. As far as mental strength is concerned, which is the most important ingredient when you are playing international cricket, there is no doubt that Virat Kohli is mentally very strong and physically very fit. It is a matter of one innings, if he has communicated to the selectors that he needs more breaks, then we should respect that," he added.

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