IPL 2020 | MS Dhoni will depend a lot on Deepak Chahar this season, proclaims Ajit Agarkar

Since making his debut for Chennai Super Kings, no bowler has taken more wickets in the powerplay than Rajasthan pacer Deepak Chahar. The 28-year-old pacer from Agra picked 32 wickets in his first two seasons with the franchise, which as a result earned him a cap in India’s limited-overs team. However, ahead of the 2020 edition, the pacer tested positive for COVID-19, causing a few jitters in the camp. 

While he has managed to return back to training, former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar commented that it would be crucial for the speedster to return to full fitness. Agarkar also opined that CSK’s skipper MS Dhoni would depend a lot on Chahar to pick up the early wickets for the team. 

“As far as Chahar is concerned, I know Dhoni depends on him a lot to start with the new ball or bowls him up front, but when you have not played cricket for as long as all these players have, plus he has had this extra quarantine because of turning positive might have less preparation time,” Ajit Agarkar said on the latest episode of Star Sports’ Cricket Connected chat show, reported HT.

The franchise has already lost two of its stars - Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina, both of whom have pulled out of the tournament owing to personal reasons. The pacer last played in 2019 for India before an injury set him back. This would mark Chahar's return for the first time on the cricket field since the T20I against West Indies last year, and Agarkar added that he feels that the right-armer 'will be ready'.

“But hopefully, the fitness levels are there, it’s about getting the skills right and getting some sort of bowling into your legs while they have some practice games, he’s probably going to be ready.”