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India have had a horrible start to their five-match T20I series against the West Indies, losing the first two games. They will now have to win the next match to keep the series alive.
While the Men in Blue fell four runs short in the first T20I in Trinidad, Hardik Pandya and Co. failed to defend 152 runs in the second game in Guyana on Sunday, August 6. This is the first the Caribbeans have won two consecutive T20Is against India.
Despite having the game under control, the visitors lost their grip in the 18th and 19th overs, dishing out some loose deliveries to West Indies tailenders, Akeal Hosein and Alzzari Joseph. They struck a few boundaries to see the team through with seven balls to spare.
Team India has missed a seamer who can swing the new ball and also do more than a decent job at the death. More precisely, the Men in Blue have lacked a seamer of Deepak Chahar's ability, who can bowl at different phases of the game and with equal control.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why Chahar is the missing piece in India's puzzle.
#1 Deepak Chahar can swing the new ball
In the first two T20Is against the West Indies, Team India lacked a seamer who can generate swing with the new ball.
Both Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar are more of hit-the-deck pacers. They have struggled to swing the red cherry, which has forced skipper Hardik Pandya to take the new ball against the Men in Maroon.
Chahar, who is known for his ability to swing the ball both ways, could be a great addition to the T20I side. He has a knack for picking up wickets early, which could have the side in good stead. The Rajasthan-born cricketer has picked up 15 of his 29 T20I wickets with the new ball, which is a testament to his ability inside the powerplay.
#2 Adds depth to India's batting unit
Team India's batting has come under the scanner in the first two games, struggling to even reach the 150-run mark against a moderate bowling attack. The lack of depth in the batting was visible, with none of the bowlers contributing with the bat.
This is where Deepak Chahar has an edge over other bowlers in the country. While there is a lot of buzz about his bowling, the 31-year-old cricketer is more than an able batter.
Chahar has 319 runs under his belt from 45 innings at a strike rate of 132.91, including a half-century. The right-handed batter has also batted at No. 6 once for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He scored 39 runs in that match at a strike rate of 195, which shows that he is more than a capable batter.
#3 Can bowl at the death
Team India struggled badly at the death in the second T20I. While Arshdeep conceded nine runs in the 18th over, Mukesh gave away 14 in the 19th to lose the game.
Hardik Pandya has so far lacked options he can rely on in the final overs. While Deepak Chahar mainly emerged as a new ball bowler, he developed the art of bowling at death while playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) under MS Dhoni.
Chahar was exceptionally good in the death overs for CSK in the last few seasons and given his experience, he would be the missing puzzle in this young T20I side.
