The young Indian pacer, Deepak Chahar is aiming to cement his place in the national squad, but he is well aware of the fact that it is a Herculean task. However, he wants himself to be counted as a new-ball bowler who is also handy with the bat.

During a recent interview with IANS on the sidelines of a Vijay Hazare trophy match, Chahar said, “I can bat too. I was drafted in as a replacement for Hardik Pandya in the Asia Cup. So I want to prove myself as a batsman also. I want to be the all-rounder in the side who can bowl with the new ball. I want to train myself in such a manner that if selectors want a new ball bowler, they pick me, and also if they want an all-rounder they pick me.”

Rajasthan is in Elite Group C of the 50-over domestic meet and Deepak said he would look to make the most of the batting opportunities in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year to further establish himself.

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The pacer elaborated, “I got runs in one of the IPL matches. Mahi bhai sent me up the order. This year, I hope to get more opportunities with the bat to prove myself. The team gets balance when fast bowler bats well too. This is a terrific Indian side. You are always expected to behave like the No.1 side in the dressing room. Look at the options the team has and the depth in the squad. It won’t be easy for me to be a regular.”

Chahar replaced injured all-rounder Pandya in the Asia Cup which India won for the seventh time. He made an unimpressive debut against Afghanistan under Dhoni’s captaincy, with figures of 4-0-37-1. Earlier, he made his Twenty20 International debut in England, finishing with 1 for 43 in his four overs.

Deepak explained, “The start was not good. But I will hope to get another chance. I am working really hard. The IPL has helped me a lot. When IPL was not there, debutants used to feel the pressure playing in front of big crowds. But with the IPL, you have already experienced that pressure before making coming into the international circuit.”

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Since making his debut in the Ranji Trophy as a teenager and recently he dismantled the Hyderabad batting line-up for just 21 when Chahar picked 8 for 10 and finished the season with 30 wickets, a spate of injuries put him off the radar for a while. It was only in the IPL under MS Dhoni that he reached his true potential. 

Talking about his IPL experience, Chahar said, “He (Dhoni) used me so well in the IPL and he is always effusive in praise of me. When Dhoni bhaiya speaks highly of someone, people take it seriously. He made me play all the matches and later told me that he wanted that. We won the IPL and performing in the IPL matters. If you have to play for India, you have to also do well in the IPL and show that you can handle pressure.”

Asked about the presence of Pandya as an all-rounder already in the team, Deepak said the former is an asset for the team going into the World Cup.

Chahar concluded, “He is an asset and he cannot be replaced. He is a big-hitting batsman and I feel looking ahead to the World Cup, Hardik is a vital cog in the team’s wheel. I am not competing with him. I just want to improve my batting too so that the team management has more reasons to pick me. It is very difficult to break into this Indian limited-overs side now. So I always have to look for opportunities to better my all-round ability.”