[WATCH] Deepak Chahar bowls in a match for the first time in 5 months

Team India pacer Deepak Chahar has shared a video of himself bowling in a cricket match for the first time in five months.

The 29-year-old has been out of action for a while due to injury and fitness concerns. The fast bowler last represented India during the white-ball series against West Indies at home in February this year.

On Tuesday (July 19), Chahar took to his official Instagram handle to share a clip of him bowling in what appears to be a local match. The cricketer uploaded the video and wrote:

“Bowled in a match after more than 5 months felt equally happy when I made my debut ☺️ #return #soon #bleedblue.”

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise, which had signed him at the IPL 2022 mega auction for ₹14 crore, replied to the post and commented:

“Happy Returns 🤩💛.”

The bowler suffered a quadricep tear during the T20Is against West Indies and was subsequently sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. However, while in rehab, he also suffered a back injury, which ruled him out of the entire IPL 2022 edition.

Even as he was out of cricket due to injury, there was some cheer for him on the personal front as he tied the knot with fiancée Jaya Bhardwaj in June. Chahar had proposed to Bhardwaj after an IPL match in the 2021 edition, and a video of the same went viral on social media.

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Deepak Chahar was hopeful of being fit for the West Indies series

Last month, the pacer had stated that he was hopeful of being fit for the white-ball tour of West Indies. However, his wait to return to international cricket continues as he is still on the path to recovery.

On his fitness, he told PTI in June:

"I am bowling four to five overs at one go as per my rehab program right now. My recovery is going pretty well and I think it will take another four to five weeks for me to get match fit.”

He had added:

"It's a step-by-step process as far as recovery is concerned. Once I am match fit, I will need to play some club level games to check my fitness. (On being fit for the West Indies series) I can't say that but I will definitely try and get fit by then. Let's see.”

The pacer has so far featured in seven ODIs and 20 T20Is for India in which he has claimed 36 international wickets. He also has two half-centuries to his name in ODIs.

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