Tushar Deshpande, 30, of Mumbai Pastor, has revealed he is ready to compete against everyone for the spot of the Indian team who wants to play Test cricket.
Tushar Deshpande said his “major ankle surgery” had kept him out of the game for quite some time, but he is now ready to go back to action.
The desire is always to play Indian Test Cricket – Tushar Deshpande
Deshpande is a well-known name in the Indian domestic cricket circle and demonstrated his true ability with the ball in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
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He played for the Delhi Capitals (DC), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL, but his best champions are the best. At IPL 2023 and 2024, he bagged 21 wickets and 17 wickets for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Tushar Deshpande’s impressive performance in domestic cricket and IPL helped him get the Indian call for the Zimbabwe Tour. There, I chose two wickets in July 2024.
Posting the series, Pacer suffered an ankle injury and had to undergo surgery. He was hoping to have a Ranji Trophy knockout in February 2025, but his rehabilitation needed more time.
But now he’s perfectly fit and is paying attention to the incredible outings for Mumbai.
“In fact, I put in a lot of effort, and it was a massive ankle surgery and it was my landing foot, so it had to be run at that point.
“My desire is to always play Indian Test cricket, but I play one day at a time, one match a day. I lost a lot of time from the game last year so I’ve followed a good process and fit myself into myself.
Playing in the UK too… I was ready for the challenge – Tushar Deshpande
After an IPL 2025 stint with Rajasthan Royals, Deshpande traveled the team to India and the UK, registering numbers for 2/62 and 1/13. He further said:
“Absolutely, like I said, I’m fine and thriving now. So no matter what challenge I try, I’m ready for it. I’m playing in the UK too… I was ready for the challenge.
“So it’s all revolving around my fitness. Last year, I had surgery that I was away from the game because I wasn’t in good condition. I’m fine now and I’m fine.
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I feel batting comes naturally – Tushar Deshpande
Tushar Deshpande may not be highly praised for his batting skills, but he proved his qualifications by crushing the Ranji Trophyton against Balada in 11th place in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals last year.
Speaking about this, Tushar Deshpande said he first batted on his youthful day in cricket and picked up a fast bowling when he reached the U-13 stage. He said:
“Fast Bowling was the second thing I picked up later in my career when I was under 13. So I feel batting comes naturally, but my dad always said he was patient and would become a batter.
“During my 100 years old, Tanush (Kotian) trusted me and spun me on the strike, so I’ll also go to him. I got 70 runs (72-62) against the MP (Madhya Pradesh) in 2016, my debut season.”