Chennai, March 17 -- India bowler Deepak Chahar on Sunday requested the media persons to support athletes.

The 31-year-old bowler made his India debut in the T20I format against England in July 2018, following that he bagged 31 wickets after appearing in 25 matches. Meanwhile, he played his first ODI match in September 2018 against Afghanistan. He took part in 12 50-over innings, in which he picked up 16 wickets.

While speaking at the TNSJA (Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists' Association) Annual Awards & Scholarships, Chahar asked the journalists to not "put down" an athlete when they are young.

"Seeing Media journalists supporting athletes is very different for me... I request the media to support athletes. Athletes shouldn't be put down ...