For someone who shares a special bond with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Deepak Chahar said he credits the CSK captain for harnessing his career and giving it longevity, but does not want the legend’s impending retirement to hit the side anytime soon. “It took me 2-3 years to get comfortable around him (Dhoni). I see him as an elder brother and I think he treats me as a younger brother,” Chahar told PTI in an exclusive interview.
“We have our fun moments. During lockdown, we played a lot of PUBG together. We played a lot of games together. We spent a lot of time together off the field. I’ve been lucky to learn so much from him,” Chahar said.
“I would say because of him only I got a chance to play for India because before that, he gave me a really big chance to play all the 14 games in IPL. In 2018, I played all the 14 games.” Chahar said Dhoni, who has been struggling with a knee injury for the last one year or so, should stop taking additional responsibility in the CSK set-up at this stage of his career and must look to enjoy his game.
“I personally think he has a lot to give to cricket. He can play for another 2-3 seasons. I have seen him bat in the nets. Obviously, he had an injury that anyone can have, people at 24 have that same injury that he has.
“He has recovered well. For me personally, he should play for another 2-3 years. (But) it’s his call. He told everyone he is going to play his last game in Chennai. I think he will only decide. For us, it will be very difficult to play for CSK without him. Everyone has (always) seen CSK with Mahi bhai,” Chahar said. “He should not be taking it at this time because it is the end of his career. He should be enjoying not taking responsibility and pressure for the team. He has prepared so many cricketers like Ravindra Jadeja and other players, those who can do that job, they are good at it,” Chahar added.
Chahar said players thrive when the environment is good in the team, citing similarity between Ranji Trophy-winning side Rajasthan in 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.
“I have felt the same environment when I made my debut for Rajasthan. We won two titles. I still remember the atmosphere of the team was very different,” he said.
“You need to create an environment. Players are the same, players don’t change,” he said.
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