Indian spinner joins England Cricket after being overlooked

India leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has been included in Surrey’s squad for their final County Championship match of the season against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl. The 26-year-old was officially registered with the team earlier in September and will make his appearance in the season-ending fixture this week.

Chahar has played for India in domestic and international cricket. He, who represents Rajasthan in India’s domestic circuit, has played 24 first-class matches, taking 87 wickets at an average of 28.01, including seven five-wicket hauls, with best figures of 9/148. The spinner has featured in one ODI and six T20Is for India.

Rahul Chahar Joins the Squad for the Final Match - Surrey

Rahul Chahar has joined Surrey’s squad for their final County Championship match of the season, starting on September 24. He registered in early September, but he missed the previous home games against Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

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Surrey brought him in due to injuries to Will Jacks and Cam Steel, while left-arm spinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore is still recovering from a finger injury.

“Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar joins the squad for the final Rothesay County Championship match of the season. Chahar plays for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy and has represented India seven times in white-ball cricket," Surrey Cricket posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar comes into the squad for the final Rothesay County Championship match of the season.

Chahar plays for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy and has represented India seven times in white-ball cricket.

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— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) September 22, 2025

Surrey are in second place on the Division One County Championship table with 189 points from 13 matches. Nottinghamshire, who are at the top with 203 points, are the favorites to claim the title. Surrey need to win their final game and Notts to earn fewer than 11 points.

I'm Excited to Join Surrey- India's Rahul Chahar

Rahul Chahar expressed his enthusiasm about joining Surrey for the season-ending game. Chahar stated that he wants to make a contribution and help the team win their final fixture.

"I'm excited to join Surrey for this week's match," Chahar said. "I'm coming here to have an impact and help the team in their final match of the season."

Chahar has played one ODI and six T20Is. The spinner took three wickets in his only ODI but ended on the losing side against Sri Lanka in 2021.

He has claimed seven wickets in T20Is at an average of 23.85. He was also part of the Men in Blue squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Gives Us Another Option Spin Option - Alec Stewart

Surrey’s high-performance cricket advisor, Alec Stewart, said that Chahar can provide a spin option for the final match at the Utilita Bowl. Stewart noted that plans were adjusted based on the pitch conditions and the opposition.

"Adding Rahul to the squad gives us another spin option at the Utilita Bowl," Stewart said.

"We always knew that we would be missing players for the final period of the season and try to plan accordingly, given the potential surfaces and the opposition we're playing."

"We had originally earmarked for Sai Kishore to return for the latter stages of the season but he unfortunately has a finger injury resulting in an operation has meant he was unavailable."

Also read: Shreyas Iyer quits Indian team