Chahar, renowned for his lethal bowling prowess, spoke candidly about the importance of utilizing the off-season to prioritize strength-building exercises, underlining its direct correlation to increasing bowling pace.
“When you’re doing rehab – or just playing – you’re not gaining strength. You’re losing the strength of your body. So this is the right time for me or any athlete… when you get one-and-a-half months or two months, you need to gain strength. If you gain strength you increase your pace as well,” Chahar asserted, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Chahar elaborated on the challenges faced by fast bowlers, particularly during continuous play, where opportunities for dedicated strength training are limited, inevitably leading to a decline in pace.
Additionally, Chahar expressed contentment with his current form, highlighting his commitment to further develop his batting skills to contribute effectively lower down the batting order.
“So, yeah, when I played in 2018, I was bowling around 140ks. When you’re playing regularly you don’t get the chance to do strength training and your pace comes down. This is the right time for me to increase my pace. Skill-wise, I’ve obviously been doing well with batting and bowling. So I’m trying to develop a few shots with the bat too, because when you bat at No. 8 or No. 9, you only get to play three-four balls. So you have to utilise those balls with different shots,” he elaborated.
Reflecting on his illustrious Indian Premier League (IPL) career, Chahar reminisced about his debut in the 2016 season and his consistent performance over the years. With 72 wickets from 73 matches in the IPL, Chahar has been a linchpin for CSK, known for his ability to deliver crucial breakthroughs with the new ball.
In the IPL 2023 season, the 31-year-old showcased his bowling prowess, bagging 13 wickets in 10 games, thus reaffirming his indispensability to the Chennai-based franchise.
As Chahar gears up for the upcoming IPL season, his emphasis on strength training underscores his unwavering dedication to continual improvement, setting the stage for yet another impactful performance on the cricketing arena.
(With inputs from ANI)
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