Deepak Chahar has defended his decision to opt out of ODIs against South Africa after his father suffered a brain stroke. The 31-year-old was a part of the white-ball matches but took his name back. The T20I series ended 1-1- while the Men in Blue won the fifty-over series 2-1.

Speaking to PTI, Chahar said the decision to skip the tour was the right one. 

“My father comes first, and I have reached this level because of him. If I am not there for him in an emergency situation, then what kind of son am I? If the series was India, I would have played it as it takes 4-5 hours to reach a place if some emergency came up. However, it would take 2-3 days to return home,” Deepak Chahar said.

“There was no hesitation in taking the decision as it was about my father. I was there with my father for 25 days at the hospital. He was admitted in Aligarh, and we all were with him,” he added. 

He hasn’t played any ODI for the Men in Blue since 2022. However, he featured in the penultimate T20I of the home Australian series before the South Africa tour. 

I missed two T20 World Cups due to my injuries: Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar is looking forward to the ICC T2O World Cup in June. Despite not being a part of the team, he is confident of getting selected for the global event. 

“I have missed two T20 World Cups because of injuries. If I was fit, I would have been a part of the squad. There is always a requirement for a bowler who can bat in the lower order. I have done it in the past with success.”

The pacer also spoke about his absence from the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. 

“I was not ready to play in the Afghanistan series as I had no game time under my belt. I was away from practice sessions for a month. After that, I went to the NCA. I am regaining my match fitness after spending time over there. I am training hard for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and T20 World Cup,” he concluded. 

Deepak has played 25 T20I and 13 ODIS since making his debut in 2018. He has taken 47 wickets in both formats, including 6/7 in a T20I against Bangladesh.