Former Indian fast bowler Laxmipathy Balaji believes Deepak Chahar can be India’s wicket-taking option if Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami are not available. Chahar recently made a return to International cricket in the series against Zimbabwe.
Chahar scalped three wickets in the opening ODI game of the series as he got the ball to swing in the PowerPlay overs. The fast bowler was able to get rid of Zimbabwe’s top three batters and he was also awarded the Player of the Match.
Surprisingly, Chahar didn’t play in the second game but he was a bit expensive in the third match of the series. Thus, the fast bowler from Agra was able to the ground running after making a return to competitive cricket after six months.
On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a back injury while Mohammad Shami was not picked in the squad.
Meanwhile, Balaji feels Chahar should have been picked in the Asia Cup squad. The fast bowler was not selected for the Asia Cup but he is included in the standby players list.
“What he was doing in Zimbabwe straightaway on his return to international cricket was like he just pressed the resume button and got into his wicket-taking abilities. Chahar has been phenomenal with his work ethic. He has got a lot of variations. His ability to bowl swing and seam, and pick up wickets with the new ball makes him special. When you have the skills like he has with the new ball, it is a treat to watch. Very rarely do you get to see swing and seam with the new ball in today’s cricket. It is more of hit-the-deck type,” Balaji told News18.com in an interview.
“In the UAE, where the new ball skills are needed to make early inroads into the opposition batting, what you want is wickets upfront with the new ball. If Chahar gives you those early wickets, you have to look at him as a first-choice. But, there are a lot of bowlers and there is a lot of competition. You want wicket-taking bowlers with the new ball. If Bumrah and Shami are not available, Chahar is the one who provides that,” he added.
Chahar has the ability to swing the new ball in the PowerPlay overs but one gets the feeling that Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been doing a consistent job in the recent past, might pip him in the T20 World Cup squad as both of them are similar kind of bowlers.
Kumar will lead India’s pace attack in the Asia Cup.
