Refreshed and with a bat in his hand, Rahul Chahar eyes India comeback

When India announced its 15 for the 2023 World Cup, it was said that a leg-spinner who could bat a bit would have enhanced the 15 to another level.

Seeing both Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in there felt a bit odd. But Axar's batting ability was deemed necessary, even if came at the price of bowling variety.

Yuzvendra Chahal was conspicuous by his absence. But that was not attributed to his underwhelming bowling form in 2023. Instead, observers pointed to his No. 11-ness with the bat.

Captain Rohit Sharma also said he wanted batting depth till No. 9. This indicated his preferred lower order - Hardik Pandya, Jadeja, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav plus two pacers with Axar was a situational change-up. But it looked a bit too predictable, rigid and one injury away from disaster.

It was said, thus, that a bat-friendly leggie would have been an injury back-up for both Jadeja and Kuldeep. Such a bowler could have given a chance to rotate either depending on the conditions too. Even Sportskeeda did an article explaining why Pakistan's Shadab Khan would have been perfect for India.

We were, like many others in the country, guilty of oversight. In the past month, Rahul Chahar has shown us why we needed to look inwards.

He recently led his team Jodhpur Sunrisers to the final of the 2023 Rajasthan Premier League (RPL). The 24-year-old topped two stats lists - most-wickets (12 at an average of 18.67) and the best batting strike rate - 228.57.

The first was expected. At the end of 2021, Chahar was India's best leg-spinner, good enough to go to that year's T20 World Cup in Australia. He played one match, a dead-rubber against Nambia. India didn't qualify for the semi-finals and left him out for the following series.

He suffered a couple of injuries that ruled him out of a large share of the previous two domestic seasons. They also played a role in his dipped form in IPL 2023. But the trust Punjab Kings showed in him gave the impression that he'd be back to his best sooner than later.

His batting returns in RPL were less expected (although not surprising). In the first Qualifier, he came to bat at number nine with the score at 106/7. His team needed 44 runs in three overs to win. Chahar hit five sixes in 10 balls to bring the equation down to five of three before getting run-out trying to take a double.

Chahar scored a couple of quick 20s for the Kings in IPL 2022 as well, but this was different. Here, he was hogging the strike and making tail-enders play around him. His shots weren't of a lower-order batter who can use the pace. Instead, he looked like a finisher with the ability to hit full-faced slogs over mid-wicket.

The skipper again scored 17 (10) in the final to push the score to 168/10, which Jaipur Indians narrowly chased down in the last over. He had a tenacity with the bat in hand, like what we're used to seeing with him with the ball.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Chahar spoke about his batting, the changes he has made in his bowling in the last two years, captaincy lessons from Rohit, his friendship with other leg-spinners and more.

Excerpts from Rahul Chahar's interview with Sportskeeda

You are one of the highest wicket-takers in the Rajasthan Premier League — How are you feeling about your cricket right now?

Rahul Chahar: Obviously, great. It’s great to be on top. I have always felt good about my cricket. Just missed the last two Ranji Trophy seasons due to injury. Otherwise my performances have been good in every tournament I have played in.

The tournament has been an absolute roller coaster for your team — how has the experience of captaincy been for you; What is your philosophy?

Rahul Chahar: Very good. While playing, I always used to think that I’d do this or that when as a captain. T20 is a mind game and our team is so flexible. No one has a set batting position, nor there’s a bowling order of who’ll bowl when. Everything is flexible. The day I joined as captain I told everyone that both batting and bowling orders would be flexible.

Everyone’s doing great. There’s a bowler in our team (Ravindra Khichar). No one was trusting him. I played him in the nets and gave him a chance in the semi-final and he did very well too.

You have played under a few captains in the IPL — Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan— who have you learned the most from?

Rahul Chahar: I think Shikhar and Rohit bhai are big players and great captains. First of all I'd like to talk about Rohit bhaiya and MI (Mumbai Indians). I was a bit young then and the confidence he gave me, how he used to say, “You can do it”, I learned that from him. Plus match-ups and taking responsibility as a senior is something I’ve learned from him too.

As for Shikhar bhai, the first thing about him that inspired me was how good a human he is. Secondly, when I came to Punjab, I was more of a senior player and he backed me a lot. I think he looks at me first and trusts me the most whenever he needs a wicket. They both have taught me a lot.

People noticed you bowling in the death overs in the Rajasthan Premier League. But you have six wickets and a good economy rate in death overs in IPL as well. We don’t generally see leg spinners take that role — have you always worked on it?

Rahul Chahar: I didn’t work on it as such but I used to bowl at the death for my clubs in tournaments as a kid. The captains and coaches trusted me that I wouldn't concede too many runs.

Plus, I have played so much IPL now that I know that the situation where I need to bowl at the death can arise any time. That has happened a couple of times too so it’s better to prepare accordingly. In the end every batter tries to hit and as a senior player I want to stop that. I want to take that responsibility.

Then there was your knock in Qualifier 1. When did you start taking your batting seriously? What inspired you for it and how are you working on it now?

Rahul Chahar: I have batted since very early in my career. I have scored runs for Rajasthan in Under-16 and Under-19 and for India as well at the Under-19 level. I scored a 95 for India ‘A’ and played three 20-odd-run knocks for Punjab last year when it was needed too. But recently I have realized that I need to get even better at it.

Whenever your cricket goes through a bit of a down phase, you look to get better. So I thought how can I get better at bowling and then batting. Then I started to take it a bit more seriously and thought, ‘It’s not good enough and I need to work harder on my batting’. I am spending one to one-and-a-half-hour at batting every day so I think that’s why we are seeing an improvement.

A leg-spinner who can bowl in the death overs plus bat a bit is exactly what India needs right now. Have you worked on those 2 things with an eye on a comeback or is it just a coincidence?

Rahul Chahar: I don’t know. As a player you should look to improve. I don’t think too much about what will happen in the future. I believe that when you do well, everything else falls into place. So I am working hard on improving myself, everything else is not in your hands.

Can you talk about the 2021 T20 World Cup? You getting selected wasn’t a surprise but not getting chances immediately after the tournament — how did that feel and did you receive any communication from the management/selectors?

Rahul Chahar: I know as a youngster you have to sit outside for so many matches and I have done that for the Indian team quite a lot. I don’t think too much about it, as I said. I am just hoping for a good comeback and working hard for it.

How did you keep yourself motivated in that phase and where did you find support from?

Rahul Chahar: The biggest support right now is my wife. Sometimes, the family also gets upset when I am not playing for India. But the biggest support was my wife who gave me the motivation that I have to come back stronger and that whenever I return, I should not give anybody a chance to take me out of the team.

At that time it was said that India needed a bowler who could bowl with ‘speed’. Is there a massive difference between "two types"? Afterall, we have seen you loop the ball in the air when needed as well...

Rahul Chahar: Both are very different. One leg-spinner bowls slow and the other very quick which gives the batter less time to react.

But I have played Test matches as well so I know how to manage it and I bowl slow sometimes as well. But I think both are different skill sets and if you have all the options, it’s better for you as a leg-spinner.

So what exactly have you worked on with your bowling in the past two years?

Rahul Chahar: In the last two years, I have focussed a lot more on my length. I have done lots of spot bowling. It used to be a bit up-and-down earlier so I am trying to make sure that there are no loose balls anymore.

There’s a lot of this versus that on social media. But you look like you are good friends with both Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav. Do you leg-spinners take ideas from each other and motivate each other? How does that dynamic work?

Rahul Chahar: Yeah, there’s nothing like we don’t talk or anything. Obviously we take ideas from each other. I talk with all the spinners. I and Varun used to chat when we were playing together.

I talk with Kuldeep, Bishnoi and I am always in touch with Piyush Chawla. I think it’s good to share your thoughts about how you bowl and as a junior I think the more you learn from your seniors, the better. I always keep asking Piyush Chawla about something or the other when I am sitting with him. So, yeah, it’s all good.

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Rahul Chahar is exclusively represented by FairPlay Sports, India's largest sports marketing agency with more than 80 athletes on its roster.