
MUMBAI: For a team that is so good at assembling title-winning outfits, Chennai Super Kings have rarely had the luxury of a lethal pacer in their ranks.Makhaya Ntini, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Doug Bollinger, Ben Hilfenhaus and Ashish Nehra have all played their part, but none have been intimidators per se. Even in their presence, MS Dhoni has preferred the medium-pace of Dwayne Bravo.
The Trinidadian has been Dhoni’s go-to man. In the two matches he hasn’t played, Chennai have not missed his guile at the death. But as they head for four crucial away matches — beginning on Thursday against Rajasthan Royals — Chennai have to crack their death-bowling code.In terms of options, they have very few to choose from. Deepak Chahar, their leading pacer, is more renowned to bowl with the new ball than at the death. In fact, he has bowled only two overs so far outside the powerplay. The first one — against Kings XI Punjab last Saturday — nearly ended up with Chennai losing the match if not for Dhoni’s timely intervention.
Chahar, like Bravo, prefers using variations. Even when he bowls in the powerplay, he uses plenty of slower balls. But against Punjab, his inexperience of bowling at the death showed. Two consecutive back-of-the-hand slower ones ended up becoming beamers, forcing a livid Dhoni to step in.After his Man of the Match performance against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday, Chahar was asked what his skipper had told him. “I’ve got thousands of messages asking the same question (What did Dhoni tell you after bowling two beamers?). I think he was angry,” he said.
But Dhoni did have an effect. After that, Chahar got back to basics: two yorkers and cutters. End result? He gave away only 13 and picked up the wicket of David Miller. It virtually won the match for Chennai.
In Bravo’s absence, in these four away fixtures, Chahar may have to bowl more out of his comfort zone so that Chennai don’t need to rely heavily on Shardul Thakur and Mohit Sharma, who have not looked the part so far this season.
Chahar, on the other hand, is their in-form seamer. Like Bravo, the 26-year-old has a handy slower one and a slow bouncer, which can be difficult for batsmen to put away. These are somethings he has been practising specifically.“I have worked on the slower ones and slower bouncers. I was prepared for it. Obviously, I’m a better bowler now than I was last year because at this level, you need a lot of confidence. Last year I performed well, so I had a lot of confidence. Playing for India has also helped me,” Chahar said.
If one goes by the previous matches at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Chennai might end up getting a pitch that will play to their strength: slow and one that aids spinners. But, given how thin they are when it comes to options at the death, Chahar may be a safer bet than the likes of Mohit and Thakur.
“I like when responsibility is given to me. I was happy, and I always wanted to bowl at the death. Obviously, we miss Bravo because he’s an asset to the team and you can’t replace him. Because you need a batsman and a bowler in place of him. As far as I’m concerned, I was happy to get the opportunity to bowl at the death. Proving myself as a death bowler will help me in my career because it makes me a complete bowler.”