Chahar knows his batting could give him a spot in T20 World Cup squad

Deepak Chahar is ready and wants to cement his spot in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA later this year. 

The fast-bowling all-rounder, who has often struggled with injuries, missed the South Africa tour and Afghanistan series to be with his father who suffered a brain stroke, from which he has recovered now.

“For me, my father comes first. I am here only because of him. Whatever I have achieved is because of my father. If I am not there for him in those situations, then obviously, what kind of son I am?,” Chahar told PTI.

“If the series was in India, then I would have surely tried to play. You can come to the hospital if you need within 4-5 hours. But obviously, (from) South Africa it takes 2-3 days to come back. It was an easy decision to be with my father — any son would do that.”

The 31-year-old hasn’t played any competitive cricket for two months but is “fully fit” and ready to make an impact in the upcoming IPL.

“I was with my father in the hospital for 25 days. He was not in Agra. He was admitted in Aligarh. We all had to stay there. I was only able to do some exercises. I was not able to do any cricketing activities. That’s why I was not ready for the Afghanistan series. I had not practised for a month or so.

“After that I went to the NCA. I started my practice again and now I am fully fit. Everything is good. I trained really hard for the IPL and the World Cup.”

Chahar offers something that's rare in India, and he knows that it could work in his favour. He is someone who can bat in the lower order and has already proven himself at the international level. 

Apart from averaging 33.83 with the bat in 13 ODIs, Chahar has also scored runs at an average of 26.5 and a strike rate of 189.28 in seven T20I innings. On top of that, he also claimed 31 wickets in 25 T20Is at an economy rate of 8.3.

“I have missed two (T20) World Cups because of my injuries. If I was fully fit, I would have been a part of the World Cup team as well. In any scenario or (in) any team combination, there is always a requirement for a bowler who can bat at No. 7, 8, 9. I have done that and scored runs for the Indian team,” he said.