Deepak Chahar was at his absolute best during the second ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. Known for his ability to swing the ball, the 28-year-old showcased his batting prowess at the R. Premadasa Stadium and guided the Shikhar Dhawan-led side to an emphatic three-wicket win.
Coming to bat at No. 8 position, Deepak played a gritty knock of 69 runs off 82 balls, laced with seven boundaries and a six. He also forged a partnership of 84 runs with Bhuvneshwar Kumar to take India over the line.
Following the conclusion of the game, Bhuvneshwar has revealed that it was stand-in head coach Rahul Dravid’s idea to promote Deepak Chahar up the order and his decision turned out to be a masterstroke for the Men in Blue.
“Our aim was to play till the last ball, so we wanted to take it as deep as possible. The way Deepak batted was amazing,” Bhuvneshwar said in the post-match virtual press conference.
“Deepak has played under coach Rahul Dravid before in India A or some series and he had scored there as well. So, Dravid knew that he can bat well and can also hit a few balls, so that was Dravid’s call,” the 30-year-old added.
With this triumph, Dhawan & Co. have now taken a 2-0 unassailable lead in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. They will be looking to maintain their dominance in the third and final ODI as well.