Rahul Chahar made his India debut in the 3rd T20I. (Photo: Mumbai Indians)Rahul Chahar made his international debut in the 3rd T20I between India and West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday. The 20-year-old received his maiden international call-up on the back of his impressive performances for India A last month.
Rahul Chahar makes his T20I debut for #TeamIndia 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/U26ZIAZha0
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 6, 2019
Rahul claimed six wickets in three outings as India-A won the series 4-1. He had an equally impressive IPL (Indian Premier League) season where he picked up 13 wickets from 13 matches for Mumbai Indians at an average of 23.69 with an economy rate of 6.55. The leg-spinner’s strengths lie in his effective leg-breaks and excellent control over it.
Rahul, who turned 20, just a couple of days ago, is the cousin of seamer Deepak Chahar, who is also a part of the playing XI in the 3rd T20I.
Like his bhaiyya, Rahul always aspired to be a fast bowler, but his young shoulders couldn’t propel the ball high up the pitch, almost dying when it reached the batsman. “But somehow I was turning the ball, which my brother spotted and encouraged me to pursue leg-spin,” he said in an interview with the Indian Express.
Off to #WestIndies with my brother @ChaharDeepak9 ✈️ #IndiaA #bleedblue #chahars pic.twitter.com/jBnxpICFNc
— Rahul Chahar (@rdchahar1) July 6, 2019
As a child, Rahul Chahar idolised Australian leg spinner, Shane Warne. But as he grew older, his admiration turned towards South Africa’s Imran Tahir. In an interview with PTI, the wrist-spinner revealed that he consults Tahir whenever he needs help.
“When I was a kid, I would follow (Shane) Warne. Now, it’s Imran Tahir. He brings in variation and, no matter how the wicket or the conditions are, he generates turn. He knows how to bowl in every condition,” said Chahar.
“I have his contact number. Whenever I have a problem, I call him up and he guides me. He always helps me. When I went to England with the India U-19 team (in 2017), I did not know how to deliver in those conditions. It is difficult to grip the ball there, and he told me to put some sand and tackle the situation,” recalled Chahar.
