After smashing Khaleel in the first over, Bangladesh looked to run away with the chase and clinch the series vs India. But an inspired Deepak Chahar struck back, notching up figures of 6-7 which included a hat-trick.
While he may have recorded the best figures in T20Is and taken the first hat-trick for India in T20s, Chahar credited all his success to captain Rohit Sharma for having immense faith in his abilities.
Rohit not only showed faith in Chahar, but also compared him with the role that Jasprit Bumrah plays for India. This left the fast bowler in awe for his captain.
“He told me I will use you as a Bumrah today. I will bowl you in the crucial overs and that was motivating for me. I love it when I am given responsibility under pressure because that makes me feel that I am being trusted. I feel bad when nobody trusts me. To get that confidence from the captain felt good at that stage of the game.
“Imandar hona chahiye (You should be honest)I know where he stands and I also know where I stand. He is the No.1 bowler in the format and as a T20 bowler, he has everything, be it pace or control. He is the No.1 bowler for me and saying that is not a shame. I am not competing with him and my job is to do well. You need to focus on the game and the team should win and that has to be the priority,” said Chahar.
Chahar also went on to reveal that he had learnt a trick or two during his time with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
“Playing in Chennai has helped a lot. In Chennai there is a lot of dew and sweat and I have made mistakes and bowled no-balls in those situations, but I learnt from that. I have learnt from that experience on what to bowl in these situations and how to go about the job,” he said.
Finally when talks opened up about next year’s World T20 in Australia, Chahar said that the event was still 11 months away and he is still keen on improving his game every day.
“World T20 is about 11 months away and that is a long time. Obviously I have that in the mind and we are looking to win the trophy, but as a sportsman you can’t think so far as there is a lot of international cricket before that as well as the IPL. I want to gain more trust from the management till then and there will be times where I will get hit and I want to still gain the trust of the team so that they support me. Performing in every match is the goal,” said Chahar.
