IPL 2021: Deepak Chahar’s special message for fan who asked him to not play after DC game

Deepak Chahar looked back at his Man of the Match performance against Punjab Kings, where the pacer dismantled the team’s top-order. Sharing an interesting anecdote, Deepak Chahar revealed how a fan had asked him not to play the game after his average performance against the Delhi Capitals.

The Chennai Super Kings pacer was brilliant on Friday night, registering his best ever IPL figures of 4/13. The Punjab Kings could never recover from Chahar's powerplay exploits, as CSK cruised to a six-wicket win at the Wankhede.

Deepak Chahar had a chat with Shardul Thakur after the game, and the former had a special message for the fan who asked him to sit out the PBKS clash after an indifferent performance in the last game.

“After the last game, I felt I had an ordinary outing, not too good but not too bad either. Conceding around 35 runs in my four overs in a high-scoring game. I went to my room after the game, and one guy on social media texted me. He said ‘ You are a very good bowler, but request you to not play the next game.’ Expectations are very high here, you have to perform in every match. This message is for that fan. If I hadn’t played this performance wouldn’t have been possible. If a player doesn’t do well in one match, don’t claim he is a bad player. You should support him a bit,” appealed Chahar.

Since the start of 2016, Deepak Chahar has taken 60 wickets in the first six overs of the innings. No seamer in T20 cricket has taken more wickets than him in this phase. #IPL2021

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 16, 2021

Deepak Chahar ended with figures of 0/36 in the first game, failing to pick up a wicket against the Delhi Capitals. But the powerplay specialist roared back to form against the Punjab Kings, getting the prized scalps of Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda and Nicholas Pooran.

Deepak Chahar made full use of the seaming conditions, with his Test match length outfoxing the opposition. His stunning effort prompted MS Dhoni to give Chahar four overs on the trot, and the CSK pacer was happy to contribute to the winning cause.

“It feels great. It came at an important time. It was important for us to win this game after we lost the first game. A good start was essential, and I am happy to contribute to the win,” admitted Chahar.

Wankhede one of my favourite grounds, admits Deepak Chahar

🔝 bowling performance 1⃣st win of the season Interesting social media message 😉Wrecker-in-chief @deepak_chahar9 chats with @imShard after @ChennaiIPL's win at Wankhede. 👌👌 - By @NishadPaiVaidya #VIVOIPL #PBKSvCSK @Vivo_IndiaFull interview 🎥👇 https://t.co/y51FcTVFNS pic.twitter.com/tjk6x2FObh

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 17, 2021

Wankhede is known for favouring the quicker bowlers, and the surface has assisted seamers in the past. After Shardul Thakur was asked whether Deepak Chahar prefers bowling in Mumbai, the pacer joked he had no option but to say yes after his outstanding performance on Friday.

“Looking at today’s wicket and the performance, I will have to say it is my favourite ground! You get a little help at the start here. Last match there was no swing or seam, it was a high-scoring game. Today there was a lot of help from the wicket, so yes it is one of my favourite grounds,” explained Chahar.

The CSK pace duo then touched upon their preparations for the Punjab Kings clash. Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar revealed how the team conducted several meetings after their disappointing loss to the Delhi Capitals.

“The first couple of games were high-scoring, so there were a lot of meetings to discuss what to do in the field and how to bowl. As a bowler, it gets difficult to decide whether you should stick to Plan A or bowl defensively. But today, there was no need for Plan B or C, Plan A was enough. Maybe the multiple meetings will come useful in the future!,” Chahar hoped.

The dominant performance puts Chennai Super Kings second in the points table. They will now face Rajasthan Royals on April 19.