A remarkably candid Deepak Chahar on Tuesday said he understood early in his career that switching his focus to white ball cricket and IPL was the fastest and easiest route to the India dressing room.
The Agra-based Chahar started with a brilliant 8 for 10 in his Ranji Trophy debut against Hyderabad, but for all practical purposes, knew that a speed of 125 kmph with the red ball would take him nowhere near international cricket.
"When I changed my action to gain speed, I struggled with my state team. Now suddenly, I found that my road towards entering the Indian team to be very difficult. If I had to take the Ranji route, then I would have had to play more matches, play a whole first-class season, play Duleep Trophy. That's a longer road," Chahar said, there was a refreshing honesty in his admission.
"But if you do well in IPL, then you can quickly play for India and during that phase of my career, I decided to concentrate on white ball cricket," Chahar, who is an automatic choice in T20 cricket now, said ahead of India's second ODI against the West Indies.
The medium pacer came into India reckoning after two seasons with IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.
The most impressive aspect of an interaction with Chahar was the clarity he has about his shortcomings and what he is doing to improve them.
"When I came to the Ranji Trophy, I used to bowl 125 kmph. My struggle with injuries was due to my efforts to increase pace. Because I knew that I won't be able to survive with that kind of pace at the international level. I had to increase it close to 140 clicks and get it to swing.
"A swinging delivery at 135 to 137 kmph is the most difficult delivery for any batsman. I can vouch that even 150 km on a flat track can be easier to handle."
"I have a good slower bouncer and I am working on my yorker. Now I am confident that even if I am hit for two sixes, I can bowl a yorker."
"Before the 2019 IPL, I prepared a lot bowling on Chennai track. Since I bowl three overs in Powerplay for CSK, and if you don't have a yorker at the Chepauk, where the ball doesn't swing, it will be difficult. But I can get even better."
"But ODIs is a mix of both where you have to be restrictive as well as take wickets. Read the situations well. It has helped that I played a lot of List A games for India A and understood how to bowl in that second Powerplay. Earlier, I couldnt figure out as to how I can contain a batsman in the middle overs. I will learn more as I play more."
So what's his line of thinking during the second Powerplay?
"My thinking is since you have only two fielders outside the circle during the first Powerplay, this seems a bit more easier when there are two more. And with that you also need variation at the death. Not always easy to manage everything."