IPL 2023Deepak Chahar ready for CSK comeback after twin injury setbacks

Fit-again Deepak Chahar is ready to make his comeback for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 after going through twin injury setbacks last year.

CSK’s injury-prone fast bowler struggled to recover from a stress fracture and, most recently, a quad grade 3 tear. He last appeared for India in the second One-Day International in Bangladesh, where he was injured after bowling three overs. Chahar could only play 15 games for India in 2022 and was also ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to injury.

“I am working hard for the past two-three months on my fitness, I am fully fit and preparing well for the IPL,” Chahar was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

“I had two big injuries. One was a stress fracture and one was a quad grade 3 tear. They are both are very big injuries. You are out for months. Anyone who comes back after the injury takes time, especially for fast bowlers.

“If I was a batter I would be playing way long back but as a fast bowler, when you have a stress fracture, it is very tough to get back on track. You can see other bowlers struggling with the back as well.”

Chahar returned to competitive cricket last month with a first-class match against Services, but that was his only appearance in the Ranji Trophy. Multiple injuries have pushed him down the pecking order, but he still hopes to make the Indian team for the ODI World Cup later this year.

“I have lived by one rule all my life. If I am fully bowling the way I want, if I am batting the way I want, there is no stopping me. That was the basic rule with which I started my career.

“I don’t care who is playing, who is not playing, my motive is to get fully fit and perform with the ball and bat 100 percent. If I do that, I will get my chances,” Chahar added.