Chintal Gandhi - Baroda's wrist-spin spark itching to shine on the IPL stage and beyond

In a country of over a billion people like India, sport is as good as religion. It's a way of life for only a fortunate few, however, who are able to break through the barriers of financial constraints, stiff competition, and of course, luck.

It goes without saying that you've got to be skilful enough to make it to the top. But even amongst the very skilful ones are some who don't have the rub of the green going their way. Life has a way of testing their patience and their response to the same often dictates whether they eventually flourish as late bloomers or not.

Here's a man in the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) camp in IPL 2024 who has a rather long-ish run-up for a wrist-spinner followed up by a whippy release.

If this description casts an image of Ravi Bishnoi in your mind, you are right. Except, you aren't in this particular context. For this man, as uncanny as his action's resemblance to Bishnoi may be, is traveling with the squad as a net bowler.

The journey to this experience was by no means an easy one though for Baroda's Chintal Gandhi. Now aged 29 and with 10 T20 matches under his belt, he has been on the radar of multiple IPL franchises for a few seasons with those in the LSG camp mightily impressed by his bowling in the nets. That sharp turning leg-break of his is unmissable after all.

Cricket was always Chintal's first love. He was a late bloomer but it wasn't down to a career switch like Varun Chakravarthy for instance. Stiff competition through the pathways kept him second-guessing his choice. But giving up wasn't an option.

After all, the sport runs in his blood with the genesis of his love for the game being his old man.

"My father was very passionate about cricket and he used to play tennis ball cricket in my village. He used to take me along to watch the game. Watching my father play generated interest within me," says Chintal in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda.

"Gradually, I grew up and started playing local tennis ball cricket in my village. I was playing pretty well and the villagers told my father ‘your son is playing very well. Join him in an academy and he can go a long way.' Gradually I joined the D.K. Tata High School in Navsari and trained under my coach there, Faridoon Mirza sir, who also runs a club. I then attended the Navsari district selections at the Baroda Cricket Association center. From there, my cricketing career started. I felt that I also wanted to play cricket regularly," continues Chintal.

It's been an unconventional rise to the Baroda senior squad for Chintal. Having begun playing at the district level at the age of 16, he found it tough to make the cut for the U19 and U23 setups despite being in the probables. Having partaken in the T20 Challenger Trophy thereafter, he finally made his debut at the age of 25, which many would consider a case of 'better late than never'.

But it's never really too late, is it? An impressive showing despite just three appearances in the 2020-21 season caught the eye of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru), who roped him in as a net bowler.

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From doubts over his future to creating doubts in the batters' minds - the rise of Chintal Gandhi

When the going gets tough, it is hard for a sportsman to not question the path he's treading upon and whether it will, in fact, lead to his ultimate destination.

Chintal's case was no different when he didn't get to feature at the U19 or U23 level. Motivation from his kith and kin held him in strong stead though to kept trying.

"I started doubting whether I will be able to go ahead in cricket or not. I thought ‘They’re not playing me in age group cricket so how will I progress further?’ But my family and my parents were very supportive of me. My father believed that even though I didn't play age group cricket, I will be able to play Ranji Trophy. I used to ask my father that if they are not able to play me age group cricket, how will they be able to play me in the Ranji Trophy? But he told me that I will be able to," says Chintal.

While he is yet to make his Ranji Trophy debut, the fact that he has made it to the senior Baroda team and has been a regular net bowler in the IPL means that this claim is by no means far-fetched. Clearly, a wise father knew what he was saying.

"Honestly, I am who I am because of my family. My father has done a lot for me. He has also heard a lot of taunts from everyone. But now I don't think that I don’t have any future in cricket. I have ups and downs but I think about what I want to do mentally," states Chintal.

The story gets interesting when Chintal mentions how he initially took to fast bowling before turning to wrist spin. His first coach played a big role in that regard, having identified how strong Chintal's wrists are.

"When I went to Mirza sir, the mindset of the players was to bowl fast. I also bowled seam first. But after the first ball I bowled, he told me that fast-bowling wasn’t for me. He told me to bowl leg spin because I couldn't keep my wrist position straight while bowling fast. It was spinning like a leg-cutter. Sir told me that my leg-spin would be much better. Since then, I started leg-spin and so far, it’s going very well," explains Chintal.

Doubts over his future in the sport are a thing of the past. With extensive support from his then-skipper Krunal Pandya at Baroda, Chintal made his debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in January 2021 and made an instant impact with returns of 1/26 against Uttarakhand.

What's relevant now are the doubts he creates in the minds of the batters. Take for instance the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022. He may have picked up just two wickets from six matches but when you consider an economy rate of 6.09 with a majority of those games coming at the pocket-sized, batting-friendly Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, here was a bowler who played his part to perfection.

Backed by Ambati Rayudu, who was Baroda's captain that season, Pandya, and coach Dav Whatmore, Chintal's strategy was simple - get through his four overs without conceding too many runs. It was a well-thought-out plan with bowling coach Sukhbir Singh Manhas.

"I was given a clear role for the team. I had to get through my 24 deliveries and bowl well without giving runs. If I didn’t get wickets it was fine but I had to bowl those 24 balls by conceding minimal runs. I kept doing that regularly. That year, I was given a role in the powerplay. After that, I was given a role in the slog overs too. It was good - there was some pressure but I released the ball well and backed my strengths," says Chintal.

How does it challenge him in terms of knowing what pace and lengths to bowl at, then?

"I don’t think about how many wickets I have to take on a given day. My mindset is that I want to bowl those 24 balls well. I have never bowled for wickets. I have bowled according to the situation of the game. Sometimes there may be a situation where I may have to go for wickets from my end. It is the captain's call. But I have largely been given a role to bowl economically. And in that process I was helping the team get wickets," says Chintal.

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Experiences as a net bowler and picking the brains of the best

While his top-level debut might have come after a long wait, Chintal was never away from the spotlight of IPL scouts. A trial with the Mumbai Indians (MI) followed ahead of the 2021 player auction while the Rajasthan Royals (RR) also took interest in him.

Chintal made it to the shortlist of players who were to go under the hammer but a bid did not come his way. RCB swooped in though and thus began the next part of Chintal's fascinating growth as he linked up with the franchise as a net bowler even as he found it too good to be true.

Rubbing shoulders with the best in the business - Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, and Yuzvendra Chahal to name a few - was an enriching experience for Chintal. And it wasn't restricted to just bowling in the nets alone.

"There were many big name players in the dressing room. When I met Virat bhai I was initially nervous to meet him. But as we started practicing, I talked to him about what I can do and what I should not do. I also talked to AB de Villiers, Chahal Bhai and Siraj bhai. It felt very good and I got to learn a lot from them. The second half of the season was in the UAE due to COVID and there I got to play scenarios as well. I got the opportunity to participate in the practice matches and I did well in that too. I enjoyed it a lot. When I get an opportunity I don't think about what the result is going to be. What can I learn more is what I focus upon," says Chintal when asked about his experience with RCB.

So good he was that he was the only net bowler from the 2021 season to have been recalled by RCB the following year. In 2023 though, he was roped in by LSG in a similar capacity even as the wait for his first IPL gig continued despite seven teams calling him for a trial.

Having got an opportunity to partake in match simulations at the Super Giants too, Chintal is confident of his growth as a player, as well as his ability to handle pressure. Picking the brains of veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra and India international Bishnoi has been a big part of his journey with LSG in the last couple of seasons, as have his interactions with seasoned veterans in the coaching setup from Justin Langer to Lance Klusener.

It's hard not to bring up assistant coach Pravin Tambe's name in the conversation. After all, both players share a similar story - from taking up fast bowling to turning to wrist spin and continuing to strive hard for that big break despite things not falling into place when they would have liked. Chintal gleefully narrates the experience of working closely with Tambe, whose biopic he cites as a source of inspiration.

"When you see Pravin sir you feel age doesn’t matter. If we stay fit and do well, we can play any time. You get positive vibes from him. He is a positive person and I like talking to him. He tells me not to look at my results but to just keep doing my job. I’ve improved a lot having interacted with him. While talking in the nets this season he told me that I’m doing better than last year. Even (Sridharan) Sriram sir told me that. The only thing for me is I am not able to join the team. Fitting into the team combination is a matter of luck. But I am improving every year. I am making new friends. That is really good for me and I take that positively," says Chintal.

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"My mindset is very strong" - Chintal Gandhi looks towards his IPL dream with positivity

Having come within touching distance of featuring in an IPL roster, Chintal's wait has been a rather prolonged one. The fact that he was slotted in the first set of uncapped spinners in the auction list for 2023 though is a motivator for him even as the dream continues to linger.

"When your name features in the midst of so many good spinners, you obviously feel good. In our set we had Shreyas Gopal, Murugan Ashwin...so many top leg-spinners. My manager also helped me a lot. He was guiding me on what to do and what not to. During the auction I think about what could happen. I asked him on what could happen and he told me to relax. That year (2022) was very good for me but I couldn't make it. You do feel bad thinking of the outcome but what learnings I get are very important," says Chintal.

What was surprising though was Chintal not getting a single game at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 with Baroda's team combination forcing them to sacrifice him from the playing XI. Does he ever feel that game time there could have fulfilled his IPL ambitions though?

"I did have doubts in my mind that if I don’t play how can I make it. I talked to the coach and he told me it’s just because of the team combination that I’m not playing. I used to stay cool and tell myself that whatever happens is in God’s hands. What is written cannot be taken away from you. We have to accept that. While I didn’t get to play it felt good that teams are showing interest in me. When I got unsold again, Lucknow took me again as a net bowler. I was disappointed initially but I came out of it and focused on what I needed to do next and how I can improve," states Chintal.

Having broken into top-level cricket after long and hard toil, very few know the virtue of patience and things falling into place at the right time better than Chintal. A strong mindset has held him in great stead until now and there's no stopping that in his own words.

"My mindset is very strong. I have handled a lot of situations. There were times I thought of quitting cricket but it didn’t happen. I backed myself. I have a gut feeling that I will play. I am confident that at least one year I will be selected in IPL. I have been a net bowler for four years but I have a gut feeling that I will perform well in the coming year. My family members, my father, my mother and my wife support me. Aakanksh (his manager) and my coach are with me. It will definitely happen," he signs off.

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Chintal Gandhi is represented by the talent management company Square the One Sports.