Rahul Chahar Reveals Reaction After Earning Maiden India Call-Up

It is always a dream come true for any player to get the maiden call-up in the India squad. The years of hard work has paid off for Rahul Chahar when he got the news of his selection in the Indian team. Chahar revealed that he was sleeping when he came to know about his selection. In fact, the leg-spinner stated that selection was not on his mind.

Meanwhile, Rahul Chahar had a successful Indian Premier League season for Mumbai Indians. The leg-spinner scalped 13 wickets for the franchise and he was instrumental in the success of the team. Consequently, Chahar gave credit to Rohit Sharma and Zaheer Khan for inducing the confidence in him.

Chahar was not expecting selection.

On the other hand, Rahul Chahar also impressed while playing for India A on the tour of the West Indies. The leg-spinner scalped six wickets in the three One Day matches as he bowled with an average of 22.

“I was sleeping. It was four in the morning (in the Caribbean). All of a sudden, my phone started buzzing. It was flooded with congratulatory messages for my selection. It was a dream come true,” Chahar was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

“Honestly, the selection was not on my mind. I am a guy who lives in the present. I give my best in whatever I do. I just wanted to concentrate on India A matches (against West Indies A). I performed and the selectors were happy with my show. That’s why they gave me the opportunity. I performed well against Sri Lanka as well,” Chahar added.

Chahar said that he will try to give his best if he gets the chance in the Indian team. It is a proud moment for the 19-year old player and he would like to grab his chances with both hands.

It is a proud feeling for Chahar.

“I will give my best. When I take the ball, I don’t think about the result. I will do the same if I get a chance to play against West Indies. It’s a proud feeling for me to be in the India squad. I promise, if given a chance, I will not disappoint my captain,” said the 19-year-old.

Meanwhile, Rahul Chahar gave credit to Rohit Sharma and Zaheer Khan for instilling the confidence in him during the IPL days. Chahar revealed that Rohit Sharma backed him to deliver the goods and the Mumbai Indians captain was not afraid to toss the ball to the youngster in the powerplay overs. Chahar stated that Zaheer Khan would help him in the training session to correct the mistakes.

Rohit Sharma and Zaheer Khan gave Chahar confidence.

“I have learnt a lot from the IPL. I would like to give credit to Zaheer (Khan) sir and Rohit (Sharma). Rohit bhaiya showed trust in me. Be it powerplays or death overs, he never hesitated to give me the ball. He said… jaise hamesha daalta hai, waise daalna (bowl the way you always do). I have bowled in the 2nd over of a match and also the 17th over. The two are very different situations. This shows that Rohit bhaiya was confident about my bowling. He also said… mujhe pata hai tu run nahi jaane dega (I know you won’t concede too many runs). He knew I can control the flow of runs. He is an amazing captain,” Chahar said.

“Zaheer sir is a great person. Be it off the field or during training, he has supported me a lot. He taught me to experiment with all six deliveries. And whenever I had expensive overs, he used to come to the dressing room or in the mid-innings break to guide me.”

“During the practice sessions, he used to come and say… “kal ye galti kiya tune, chal isey theek karte hain” (You committed this mistake yesterday, let’s go and correct it). He is a legend of the game and it was an honour to learn from him,” continued Chahar.

On the other hand, Rahul Chahar also played under the tutelage of MS Dhoni while playing for Rising Pune Supergiant. Chahar said that he learnt how to maintain a calm head from MS Dhoni in crunch situations of the game.

MS Dhoni taught Chahar to keep calm in crunch situations.

Chahar said, “Both (Rohit and Dhoni) are amazing captains. From Dhoni sir, I learnt how to keep calm, especially in crunch situations. I learnt how to remain grounded and humble in life and how to take decisions in pressure-cooker situations. That’s why he (Dhoni) is a legend. From Rohit bhaiya, I learnt how to raise the confidence bar and how to back yourself.”

India will play the first T20I against West Indies on 3rd August at Florida.