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Team India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Deepak Chahar is celebrating his 32nd birthday on Wednesday, August 7. The right-arm pacer made his international debut in 2018 and has represented India in 13 ODIs and 25 T20Is, claiming 16 and 31 wickets, respectively. He has a best of 6-7 in T20Is.
Apart from being a skilled pace bowler, Chahar is also a handy lower-order batter. He has scored 203 runs in nine ODI innings at an average of 33.83 and an impressive strike rate of 98.06, with two half-centuries. Chahar, who represents Rajasthan in domestic cricket, played a match-winning knock of 69* in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2021.
Chahar made his IPL debut for the now-defunct Rising Pune Super Giant in 2016. He was bought by CSK ahead of IPL 2018 auction and has been with the franchise since then. He made his CSK debut in the first match of the 2018 season against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The pacer bowled three overs in his debut game for Chennai Super Kings and registered figures of 1-14, claiming the wicket of Evin Lewis. CSK went on to win the thrilling game by one wicket. On his 32nd birthday, we take a look at where Chahar's teammates from his first match for Chennai Super Kings are now.
Openers: Shane Watson & Ambati Rayudu
Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu opened the innings in Chahar's first match for CSK in IPL 2018. Watson was dismissed for 16 and Rayudu for 22. The former announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in November 2020. He joined Delhi Capitals (DC) as an assistant coach ahead of IPL 2022 and is the coach of San Francisco Unicorns in the Major Cricket League (MLC).
As for Rayudu, he retired from all forms of Indian cricket in May 2023 and was part of Texas Super Kings for the inaugural season of MLC. Apart from taking a plunge into politics, the Andhra Pradesh-born cricketer has also taken up commentary.
Middle order & all-rounders: Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo
Suresh Raina was dismissed for 4 in Chahar's first match for CSK. He retired from all forms of cricket in September 2022. He opened an Indian restaurant in Amsterdam in June 2023. Raina was part of the India Champions squad that won the World Championship of Legends in Birmingham in July this year.
Kedar Jadhav chipped in with an unbeaten 24 off 22 in Chahar's first match for Chennai Super Kings. He retired from all forms of cricket in June 2024. Jadhav is one of the co-founders of 'Explosive Whey', a fitness and sports nutrition brand.
MS Dhoni captained CSK in Chahar's maiden game for the franchise. Under him, Chennai went on to win the competition that year. While he announced his international retirement in 2020, Dhoni has continued to play the IPL and guided CSK to another title triumph in 2023.
Ravindra Jadeja was part of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the United States. He announced his retirement from the format after the ICC event. Jadeja remains a key member of Team India's ODI and Test squads.
Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo retired from international cricket in November 2021. After a stellar IPL career, he retired from the T20 league in December 2022 and took over as CSK's bowling coach. He represented the Texas Super Kings in MLC 2024.
Bowlers: Harbhajan Singh, Mark Wood, Imran Tahir
Harbhajan Singh bowled two overs for 14, without claiming a wicket, in Chahar's first match for CSK. After failing to make a comeback into the Indian team, he retired from all forms of cricket in December 2021. He was part of the Indian Champions team that won the World Championship of Legends 2024. The Turbanator also makes news for his social media posts on his X handle.
Injury-hit England speedster Mark Wood registered figures of 0-49 from four overs in Chahar's first game for CSK. He has so far represented England in 36 Tests, 66 ODIs and 34 T20Is. He was Player of the Match for claiming seven wickets in the third Test against West Indies in Birmingham in July 2024.
Veteran South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir registered figures of 1-23 from two overs in Chahar's first game for CSK in the IPL. While the 45-year-old hasn't played international cricket since 2019, he remains active on the T20 circuit. He was part of the South Africa Champions squad in the World Championship of Legends held in July 2024.
