Deepak Chahar may be India's answer to the Hardik Pandya problem
In Deepak Chahar, the Indian team management may have finally found an answer to the #8 conundrum. Hardik Pandya's injury woes have meant that India have lacked an out-and-out fast-bowling all-rounder since the tour Down Under last year.
With India teetering at 187/6 after Shreyas Iyer got himself out trying to accelerate in the 3rd ODI against West Indies in Ahmedabad, it looked like another collapse was on the cards. However, any hope that the West Indies had of bowling their opponents out for another 20-30 runs was quickly snuffed out by Chahar.
Having stabilized the innings with Washington Sundar, Chahar took Hayden Walsh to the cleaners with a six and two fours in the 44th over.
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By the time Holder got him with a slower bouncer, the Rajasthan all-rounder had made a run-a-ball 38 on a pitch with good bounce and uneven pace. His innings saw him hit four fours and two sixes and put on a 53-run seventh-wicket stand that eventually took India to a respectable total of 265.
It's not the first time Chahar has pulled off the rescue act in recent times. In India's recently concluded tour of South Africa, the only thing of note during the entirely forgettable limited-overs leg was the 29-year-old's breathtaking innings of 54 (34) in the 3rd ODI.
While it eventually proved to be in a losing effort, Chahar bloodied the nose of the Proteas and took the game to the very last over. A win for the home side had looked like an inevitability when the all-rounder walked into the crease at 195-5 and quickly saw Suryakumar Yadav fall at the other end.
However, Chahar didn't have the air of someone consigned to defeat. Instead, he took the game to the South African bowlers, hell-bent on restoring some lost pride. India would eventually fall just four runs short after he got out to Lungi Ngidi in the 48th over.
Chahar has proven himself with the bat on multiple occasions
For a happier memory of Chahar's heroics, one only needs to rewind the clock to July of 2021 and the 2nd ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
In the first innings, Chahar took the crucial wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva just as a partnership had been building. In the second innings, the 29-year-old walked in at No. 8 after Suryakumar Yadav's dismissal and the team struggling at 160/6 while chasing 276.
It was a pressure situation, but you wouldn't have been able to tell while watching Chahar bat. He came off like a seasoned veteran, finding the gaps, rotating strike regularly to ensure the scoreboard kept ticking and putting away bad balls for boundaries.
His 69 (82), which included seven fours and one six, took India home with five balls to spare and sealed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. It was an all-round performance of the highest order.
On Pandya's birthday, a look back at his remarkable 76 off 43 balls in the Champions Trophy 2017 final.
Although the knock came in a losing cause, stats show that he played throughout with 100% control, with no runs made of miscues or edges 🤯 https://t.co/NJJzolDmiv
One could argue that the sample size is still small - his international career encompasses just five ODIs and 15 T20Is. However, Chahar has proven how handy he can be with the bat in three different countries now.
Pandya is a prodigious talent. When he is on form, there is hardly anyone that is a more destructive batter in world cricket. His ability to take games away from the opposition has taken India over the line on multiple occasions.
However, 2021 has not been a good year for the Baroda all-rounder. Injury problems aside, Pandya's IPL season was one to forget.
The 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia is a little over half a year away. The 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil, a year-and-a-half. There is still time for Pandya to stake his claim in the lineup. However, if his injuries catch up with him again or his form doesn't, don't be surprised to see Pandya lose his spot to Chahar.