When in trouble, I recall Dhoni bhai's tips: Hat-trick man Deepak Chahar

NEW DELHI: "When in trouble, I recall Mahi bhai’s tips". That's what Indian medium-pacer Deepak Chahar told TimesofIndia.com when asked how he deals with crunch situations in a match.
It's not surprising that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tips have become a kind of success mantra for many young cricketers, including Deepak . Dhoni has groomed a fair number of youngsters.
Deepak became the first Indian male cricketer to claim a hat-trick in a T20 international, when he took three wickets off consecutive deliveries to wrap up the Bangladesh innings in the third and final Twenty20 international in Nagpur. In the process, he also helped India register a series-clinching 30-run win against the Bangla Tigers.
What's incredible is that just two days after that, the 27-year-old from Rajasthan almost took another hat-trick. Playing for Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Chahar took three wickets off three legitimate deliveries against Vidarbha, but since he bowled a wide in between that, it didn't count as a hat-trick.
And Deepak, who has played only eight international matches so far (1 ODI and 7 T20Is), gives a lot of the credit for his success to his Indian Premier League (IPL) captain (Chennai Super Kings) MS Dhoni.

“I want to give all the credit to the IPL. I have learnt a lot at CSK and from Dhoni bhai. How to read the body language of a batsman and then bowl accordingly. All these things are helping me a lot in international cricket. I have a habit of watching videos of batsmen against whom I will have to bowl in a match. This has also helped me take my game to a different level. It feels great when your hard work pays off,” Chahar told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
“It has been more than two years that I have been playing under him (Dhoni). He has scolded me a lot also on the field. I have learnt a lot from those incidents too. He will observe you from behind the wickets. It has happened quite often, when he has told me a couple of things before bowling a delivery and I have ended up taking a wicket. Bowling in the death overs isn’t easy at all. This is the main thing I have learnt from him. Those things that I learnt from Dhoni bhai are helping me a lot at the international level," an elated Chahar said.
“I am in touch with him (Dhoni). Sometimes I speak with him while playing PubG (laughs)," he told TimesofIndia.com.

Chahar had incredible figures of 6 for 7 in 3.2 overs against Bangladesh in the third T20I, the best-ever figures in T20Is. The previous best was by Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis (6/8) against Zimbabwe in 2012.
“Claiming a hat-trick is not easy for a bowler. It all depends on the day and time, and destiny too. All three worked in my favour against Bangladesh,” Chahar said.
Chahar's hat-trick was spread over two overs. He dismissed Shafiul Islam off the last delivery of the 18th over (Chahar’s 3rd over) and then got rid of Mustafizur Rahman and Aminul Islam off the first two deliveries of the 20th over (Chahar’s 4th over) to create history.
(AFP Photo)
Interestingly, the 27-year-old was not aware that he is on a hat-trick. When he found out, he changed his plan for the next delivery.
“I wasn’t aware it was my hat-trick ball. When I was about to start my run-up, my team-mates started cheering. Fans were clapping and cheering too. I looked at the giant screen and then I got to know it was a hat-trick ball. The moment I got to know it was a hat-trick ball, I changed my plan. I wanted to bowl something different and didn’t want to miss my hat-trick. I thought a yorker will be a good option and the plan worked really well,” Chahar said.
Chahar, who has 15 international wickets so far (1 in ODIs and 14 in T20Is) also spoke about the chat he had with his captain Rohit Sharma ahead of the do-or-die third T20I against Bangladesh.

“Ahead of the third T20I, Rohit bhai came and told me ‘tujhse difficult time pe ball dalwaunga, be prepared’ (Be ready, I will ask you to bowl in difficult situations). Actually, I bowled three overs in the Powerplay in the first two T20Is and one in the death. So, he wanted to keep me for crucial situations. It feels good when your captain trusts you and I was a happy man when I delivered," Chahar told TimesofIndia.com.
Chahar's cricketing journey, though, would have been nipped at the bud, had he listened to what former India coach Greg Chappell told him in 2008.
Eleven years ago, an 18-year-old Chahar, who was finding his way through age-group cricket, was told by Chappell, the then-director of the Rajasthan Cricket Academy, to look for another occupation and leave cricket.
(AFP Photo)
Chappell’s words discouraged young Chahar but it was his father, Lokendra Singh Chahar, who supported him and encouraged him to follow his dreams.
“Honestly, (Greg) Chappell’s comments motivated me. When I heard those words, I doubled my hard work. If I had to practice for 4 hours, I started giving 7 to 8 hours to cricket. He (Greg Chappell) is a senior and a big-name player, I don’t want to say anything about him. I always want my game to do the talking. Those comments hit me hard, but I didn’t want to lose my focus. My father motivated me and asked me to continue doing what I was doing. I just want to focus on my game," the confident medium-pacer said.
Chahar, who is giving it his all to try and cement his place in the Indian side, wants to be known as an "every-situation specialist".
“I know people have started calling me a death-overs specialist. But I want to be tagged as an ‘every-situation specialist’. Whether my captain asks me to bowl with the new ball or old ball, I will. If he is looking for someone to bowl at any given point of the match, I will be the first one to raise my hand,” Chahar signed off.