A surprise name was spotted training with the Indian team at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Wednesday (July 9) on the eve of the third Test between India and England, which will start on Thursday (July 10) with the series on a knife-edge and level 1-1. With the short turnaround between the two games, India got just two days of practice at Lord’s to prepare for the game.
AS they trained for the last time before the big game, Deepak Chahar was spotted with the team and taking part in the net session.
Chahar is not part of India’s 18-man squad and was not in the team’s training gear either.While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not release any statement on his arrival, it seems like a move taken to help the team prepare, similar to Harpreet Brar joining the squad ahead of the Edgbaston Test.
Chahar is currently in England with his wife and was spotted attending the Wimbledon Championship at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The venue is just nine miles from the ‘Home of Cricket.’
The Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer has not played for India in any format since December 2023, when he played a T20I against Australia at Raipur.
The 32-year-old has not played a Test match for India in his career but featured in 13 ODIs and 25 T20Is. He has 16 wickets in ODI cricket as well as 203 runs with two half-centuries. In the shortest format, he has taken 31 wickets for the Men in Blue.
The star pacer was last seen in action during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), which was his debut season for MI after a long stint with Chennai Super Kings.
Chahar is next expected to be seen in action in August when the Indian domestic season kickstart.