Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri lambasted Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Deepak Chahar over his consistent injury issues in the last 18 months and mocked NCA as a permanent residence for “few players”. The 30-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during their match against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
According to reports, Chahar is set to miss a few games for the four-time champions, as he felt some discomfort after bowling five balls in the first over against MI and went off the field straight after bowling the last ball and took no further part in the game.
Speaking on Chahar’s injury, Ravi Shastri attacked NCA over the injury management of the players.
“Let us put it this way, there are quite a few players who have become permanent residents of the NCA. Soon they will get a residence permit there, to walk in any time they want. And it is not a good thing. It’s unreal. I mean you are not playing that much cricket to be injured again and again. You can’t even play four matches on the trot. Then why are you going to NCA for? I mean you come back and after three matches you are back there,” Ravi Shastri said.
Earlier speaking to CSK TV, Chennai Super Kings medium pacer Deepak Chahar hoped to play the entire season without injury for the four-time champions in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League as he missed out on the entire season of IPL 2022 due to an injury.
I Mean It’s Just Four Overs And In Three Hours The Game Is Over – Ravi Shastri
The former Indian World Cup winner Ravi Shastri expressed his frustration over the players getting injured frequently as it would annoy the team management and captain to alter their plan going into a tournament.
“So make sure you return fit and come back once and for all. It’s damn frustrating not just for the team but also for the players, BCCI, and the captains of the various franchises. It’s annoying, to say the least. But if after every four games, someone touches the hamstring or his groin you start thinking about what is going on. I mean it’s just four overs and the game is over in three hours. It’s ridiculous,” Ravi Shastri added.
Team India has struggled with a spate of injuries in recent months, which include Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Prasidh Krishna, all of whom are expected to miss most of the 2023 cricket season.
In recent months, the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, and Washington Sundar had to spend a good amount of time at the NCA due to their persistent injury issues.