by India Today Sports DeskChennai Super Kings pacer Deepak Chahar allayed injury concerns after playing a key role in Chennai Super Kings’ win over Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2023 on Tuesday, May 23. 4 time champion Chennai win.
Deepak Chahar covered a lot of ground from mid-on to take a fine running catch to dismiss Mohammed Shami, who was Gujarat Titans’ last wicket in Qualifier 1. Chahar started off celebrating as the likes of his bowling mentor, Dwayne Bravo and A. Some other teammates reached the ground. Chahar looked to be in slight discomfort but the pacer shrugged it off.
Chahar said he is ready for the big final on May 28 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, looking at his fitness.
Chahar said, “Everything is fine, one more to go.”
IPL 2023 Qualifier 1 highlight , reports
The Chennai Super Kings fast bowler has faced several injury problems in the past. Chahar picked up a hamstring injury earlier in the season and missed 6 league games before returning to play for the Super Kings at the end of the group stages. Chahar missed the entire IPL 2022 due to a back injury and missed the T20 World Cup campaign for India in Australia.
Chahar picked up 2 wickets on Tuesday, including that of Wriddhiman Saha and the in-form Shubman Gill. He conceded just 29 runs in his 4-over spell as CSK successfully defended 172 in Chennai.
‘Told others to keep calm’
Chahar lauded the role of the crowd in defending the target against Gujarat Titans, who went into the match with a 14-3 win-loss record chasing the target in the IPL.
The senior pacer also said that he asked the young bowlers to stay calm, and added that his experience of playing big finals in the past came in handy for Qualifier 1.
Chahar said, “The pitch is helping a lot, 172 runs on the board and the crowd is cheering so fast that it is difficult to chase the target.”
“Nothing much, I told others to keep calm even after hitting a boundary or two because it was raised in the team meeting,” he said. I said in the meeting that it is about pressure, it is their first franchise semi-final here. It is about keeping your nerves and having confidence in such games and it is not just about skill. People can drop catches on your bowling but you need to take second chances.”
“We have faith in MSD and the management. We have done this many times. That’s the advantage of having seniors in the team,” he added.
Chennai Super Kings will play the final of IPL 2023 on Sunday, May 28 in Ahmedabad.