CHENNAI: When the India U-19 team won the World Cup, Rahul Chahar was happy as well as a bit disappointed. There was a feeling of being so close yet so far for the leg-spinner. He had been part of quite a few overseas tours with the U-19 squad and he felt like his ticket to New Zealand was just a matter of time. However, his dreams were shattered when selectors named off-spinner Anukul Roy ahead of him for the marquee meet last December.
The 18-year-old started last year as a part of the Asia Cup squad and then had an impressive run in England where the leg-spinner scalped 10 in four matches in youth ODIs in August. Asked about the whole episode, he said, “Iss cheez ke baare main selectors bathaenge (selectors will talk about that). Everyone knows what happened. It was unfortunate. But Dravid sir had called me even before the team was announced and said I was not in it. He extended his sorry and explained to me that he couldn’t do anything about it as selectors were not in favour of me. Sir asked me to be confident and trust in myself,” he told Express.
With Dravid’s words echoing in his ears, Rahul, playing for Team Rajasthan, scalped six wickets in four matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year. Those performances made him a huge hit at the IPL auctions as Mumbai Indians bagged his services for Rs 1.9 crore from a base price of Rs 20 lakh. This was like a second chance to prove his potential for another team in blue!
For the people of Agra, this was more than just a moment of celebration. Rahul’s brother Deepak was also picked up by Chennai Super Kings for `80 lakh this year. Both played for Rising Pune Supergiant last year. Hailing from a city which didn’t have proper cricketing infrastructure, Rahul revealed how the brothers changed the way the sport was perceived back home. “We used to practice opposite to our home where we have nets. We didn’t have any good ground. But once we featured in IPL, Goenka school offered us three grounds to practice,” he said.
Training under his uncle Lokendra Chahar, both brothers started off as pace bowlers. But in due course, his uncle identified Rahul’s ability to spin the ball and taught him the intricacies of leg-spin. With wrist-spin the main buzzword surrounding the senior India team, Rahul is confident that he can make it to the Men in Blue’s squad in the future.
“Nowadays, wrist-spin is appreciated a lot. Players of other countries find it hard to read. That’s why I was effective during the England tour. With India performing well with leg spinners, I think I need to do my best for Mumbai Indians. Though the Wankhede wicket is flat, it has bounce. With my height, I can use it to my advantage. It will be a good platform to showcase my talent and come in the national scheme of things,” he signed off.
srinidhi@newindianexpress.com