It was a difficult debut for India seamer Deepak Chahar as he was drafted into the team after seasoned quick Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out due to a stiff back.
India bowled first against England in the T20 series decider in Bristol and Chahar – who was expected to swing the new ball – came under some serious fire as the hosts amassed 198-9 on Sunday.
The absence of senior T20 pacers Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah gave Virat Kohli hardly any cushion as Chahar went for 43 runs from his four overs and picked up one wicket.
Here’s an analysis of Chahar’s debut performance.
STATISTICS
OVERS: 4
RUNS CONCEDED: 43
WICKETS: 1
ECONOMY: 10.75
30-SECOND REPORT
It was a nervous debut for the talented seamer. He cranked the pace up to almost 90mph but Jos Buttler smashed him over his head as his first over went for 13 runs. Thereafter, his length and pace fell away as he was hit for four fours and three sixes. The wicket of Jason Roy was a deserved one as he deceived the marauding batsmen with a slower bouncer.
The man who was rejected as a 15-year old by Greg Chappell for “height” makes his India debut. What a summer it has been for Deepak Chahar.
— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) July 8, 2018
GOT RIGHT
The pace was good and Chahar also got some appreciable late swing. He has the ability to bowl good yorkers but a rampant England batting line-up simply didn’t allow him to settle. Showed enough promise to be considered for longer formats.
GOT WRONG
Lost control of his length and looked under pressure after the first over. Instead of ramping it up, went into his shell trying to stem the flow of runs. Conceded a no-ball after bowling two bouncers in the 10th over of the innings – the same over he picked up the wicket – and the resulting free-hit was hit for an effortless six by Alex Hales.
VERDICT: 5/10
The Bristol wicket was flat but Chahar didn’t bowl with enough bite to force the England batsmen to manufacture shots. The more opportunities he gets, the easier it should get for Chahar as he does have the ability to bowl well in English conditions. A forgettable day with the ball but enough promise that should keep the management interested.