Tushar Deshpande wants to stay fit and fight back into India reckoning

CHENNAI: Pacer Tushar Deshpande made his India debut in the T20I series in Zimbabwe in July last year but went out of reckoning immediately after. An ankle injury sidelined him for most of the domestic season, before the 30-year-old made his comeback with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

He had an inconsistent run in the IPL season and later played a solitary match for India ‘A’ during the tour of England. “The recovery took longer than I expected. The aspiration to play Test cricket for India is always there. I am taking it one match at a time and following the process, focusing on staying fit because I lost considerable time last year. I am just keeping myself fit so that I can put in the hard yards for Mumbai and be ready whenever the selectors feel I am prepared to play for India,” Tushar, who is currently playing in the Buchi Babu red-ball tournament, said.

Tushar has been selected to play for West Zone in the season-opening Duleep Trophy, and a solid performance there could help him retain his spot in the India ‘A’ squad. Australia ‘A’ is set to tour India in September and October. “Going into Duleep Trophy with an open mind will help me. That is what I have always done, and it has helped me in the way I bowl. Any challenge which comes up, I am ready for it.”

The Mumbai pacer received guidance from NCoE bowling coach Troy Cooley as he prepared for the demands of red-ball cricket during the recent camp in Bengaluru. “Troy’s input has been valuable, especially regarding workload management for the multi-day format. If you look at it, in a four-day match, a fast bowler needs to bowl around 30-35 overs with good intensity. We worked on that for a week; how to manage those 35 overs across the two innings.”

Apart from his bowling exploits, Tushar’s batting has been invaluable for Mumbai in the lower-order for the past few years. Coming in at No. 11, he scored a century in the quarterfinal against Baroda and helped his side advance to the semifinals in the 2023–24 season. Two years ago, Tushar took his father’s advice to be patient with his batting, and that has brought him great rewards.

“I started my career as a batter, and batting comes naturally to me. Whenever I have had the chance to bat, I have scored runs. I feel that if I can contribute with the bat to any team that I play for, it will be a bonus. With the way I have tweaked my batting, I believe it is going to be very helpful.”

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