IND vs. SL 2021: "Don't take overseas coaches too seriously"- Venkatesh Prasad recalls how Chappell rejected Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar's Man of the Match award-winning performance in the second ODI against Sri Lanka has made him the talk of the town.
The Indian all-rounder showcased his batting skills and played an incredible knock of 69 runs to help the Men in Blue beat the home side in Colombo.
Former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad was in awe of Deepak Chahar's performance.
Prasad recalled how Greg Chappell once rejected Chahar for his height at the Rajasthan Cricket Association and said the youngsters should not take overseas coaches too seriously.
Venkatesh Prasad wrote on Twitter:
"Deepak Chahar was rejected by Greg Chappell at RCA for his height and told to look at a different occupation. And he single handedly won a match with not even his primary skills. Moral of the story- Believe in yourself and don't take overseas coaches too seriously."
Prasad added that there have been a few exceptions, but in his view, franchises and teams must give preference to Indian coaches.
"There are ofcourse exceptions but with such wonderful talent in India, it's time that teams and franchisees consider having Indian coaches and mentors as much as possible."
When Greg Chappell rejected Deepak Chahar
Greg Chappell is a former Australian cricketer who once coached the Indian cricket team. In 2008, Chappell worked as Rajasthan Cricket Association Academy director.
A young Deepak Chahar showed up at the academy, but Chappell felt he was not worthy of playing domestic cricket for Rajasthan.
13 years have passed since then, and now Deepak is one of the foremost cricketers in India. He regularly plays in the IPL for the Chennai Super Kings and is gradually cementing his place in the Indian limited-overs team.
It will be interesting to see if Deepak can become one of the top all-rounders in cricket.