Leg-spin is now an alluring bowling action in the world of cricket. Leg-spin has got a massive success around the corner. Following the trend, more leg-spinners are joining the array in recent years, even in India.
In recent times, one of these leg-spinners who have caught the attention is Rahul Chahar. The Indian Premier League shaded the spotlight on him. His ability to give his team a quick breakthrough has orchestrated him as a successful bowler, especially in white-ball cricket. The Rajasthan-born bowler nudges the batters with his spin.
In this piece, here are five lesser-known facts about Rahul Chahar:
1. Family
Born on August 4, 1999, in Rajasthan, Rahul Desraj Chahar started playing cricket at 8. He was inspired by his elder brother Deepak Chahar to become passionate about the game. Starting his expedition as a fast bowler, Rahul gradually realised that spin was his armour.
He received his initial training from his parental uncle, Lokendra Singh Chahar. His brother, Deepak, is a professional player. He represents Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and also plays for India.
2. First Class Cricket
He made his First-Class debut for Rajasthan in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy. His maiden match was against Odisha at the age of 16. After the Ranji Trophy, Rajasthan roped him in the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. Rahul Chahar marked his arrival by playing against Madhya Pradesh. In five matches, he took six wickets in the tournament.
3. Board President 11
In October 2017, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the inclusion of Deepak Chahar in the Board President XI squad to face off New Zealand. Later, BCCI announced that they had made a mistake, and Rahul was added to the squad. Albeit, Rahul did not feature in the playing XI.
4. Indian Premier League
After a successful domestic season in 2017, Rising Pune Supergiants (now defunct) handed him an IPL contract. It was his maiden IPL season. Rahul admired MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane for their humble gestures. Playing alongside South African veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir helped him to polish his skills. In three games, Rahul Chahar grabbed two wickets at an economy of 8.29.
In 2018, after Pune got dissolved, Mumbai Indians bought him. That became his stepping stone. He has been with MI since that season and prominently became a part of their playing 11. In 2019, Chahar featured in 13 games and took 13 wickets at an economy of 6.55. In 2021, he has bagged 8 wickets in just 4 games till now.
5. India Debut
For every player, the dream is to represent the nation. For Rahul Chahar, he lived his dream when he received India’s cap on August 6. He made his T20I debut against West Indies in Guyana in 2019.