CSK pacer reveals his father motivated him to play 2 days after mother's death and how it led to playing in IPL 2020

Cricket is a great leveller. Over the decades, athletes have shared their stories of motivation and how they battled hardships in life to defy odds on the cricket field. Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni is a great example for the same. While Dhoni went on to become the legend of the game, there have been players who have had their share of turmoil to make it to the highest level. CSK pacer Tushar Deshpande who made his T20I debut earlier this year is another example of it. After his mother lost the long battle with cancer, Deshpande was motivated by his father to continue working towards fulfilling her dream, play for India. Two days after his mother’s death, Deshpande turned up for Mumbai to play in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20 and the rest is history.
 

"I cried a lot thinking about her," Deshpande told ESPNCricinfo. "Sometimes I still cry thinking about her. But at that time my dad told me the same thing: 'We are soldiers in life. You have to prioritise your cricket, which your mom always told you to. And if you do this now, if you play for India later on, that's how you'll fulfill her dream also.'"
 

Deshpande travelled to Indore and wreaked havoc with the ball. He conceded 19 runs in his quota of four overs, bowled a maiden and bagged four wickets. The Mumbai pacer's four scalps against Delhi were Unmukt Chand, captain Nitish Rana, Lalit Yadav and Suboth Bhati. Mumbai won the game by eight wickets chasing a target of 145. Deshpande ended up taking 19 wickets in the tournament. 

ALSO READ: 'From being troll-ed to taking full con-trol': RCB reacts to their pace trio's selection in India's Test squad for Bangladesh
 

Deshpande’s IPL debut and career

On the back of performances in domestic cricket, Deshpande was on IPL franchises’ radar. He was picked for his base price of Rs 20 lakh by Delhi Capitals (DC). Midway into the season, DC unleashed him against Rajasthan Royals (RR). On his IPL debut, he was expensive conceding 37 runs but got the wickets of Ben Stokes and Shreyas Gopal.

ALSO READ: Mayank Rawat tonks LSG's Ayush Badoni for 5 sixes in last over of innings in Delhi Premier League final; watch video
 

Later, in the auction, he was picked by CSK. In IPL 2023, he bagged 21 wickets in the season. In the previous season, he got 17 wickets. So far, he has taken 42 wickets from 36 IPL games.
 

MORE ON SPORTS TAK:

'Kha le Maa Kasam nahi lega': Rishabh Pant's hilarious banter with Kuldeep Yadav during Duleep Trophy clash goes viral; watch video

23-year-old Jannik Sinner beats Taylor Fritz to win US Open title, says ‘the work never stops’