Rahul Chahar: 'Red-ball cricket has always been an ambition; if I don't deserve a call-up, that's on me'

For a better part of the last 10 years, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been so formidable that India haven't had to worry about the depth of their spin stocks, especially at home. It's likely they aren't fretting over it just yet, but Ashwin and Jadeja are 37 and 35 respectively, and at some stage, it's a question that could gnaw on the selectors and the system.

There's Uttar Pradesh's Saurabh Kumar who has been knocking on the doors. But besides him, the domestic circuit hasn't thrown up a definitive option even though several spinners have tried to make a mark. This is where Rahul Chahar wants to come into the conversation. He's got the added advantage of being a right-arm wristspinner, a variety India haven't seen much of in the Test format since Amit Mishra.

Chahar is just 24 and has already played for India in one ODI and six T20Is. But he hasn't played a whole lot of first-class cricket to come into the mix straightaway. That's what he wants to correct, having fought through a number of injuries, each more serious than the last. At the time of speaking, Chahar was preparing for the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 opener. He'd expressed keenness to last an entire season.

Three days into the opening game, Chahar underwent scans that revealed a niggle. He has been pulled out of the next two games to ensure he gets enough rest, but the deep desire to play a part in the season and make a mark with the ball is still there, even though Chahar is, undeniably, part of the IPL generation and often hears about how "his generation" only values T20 cricket and the riches that come with it.

"Deepak Hooda always says, 'I will write the story of my life myself.' He has taught me to just do my work diligently," Chahar tells ESPNcricinfo. "If I take more wickets then obviously I will get noticed. And if don't then I don't deserve the call-up. Whatever it is, is on me."

Except, in Chahar's case it hasn't been as simple as just taking wickets. He's had to overcome battles from within. He broke through as a 16-year-old in 2016, but it wasn't until 2018-19 that he made a mark, picking up 41 wickets in 10 games. His stocks rose further when he impressed on India A debut, picking up 14 wickets at 19.57 in two red-ball games against Sri Lanka A. And then injuries started taking its toll.

When he was fit again, covid hit and the 2020-21 Ranji season was scrapped. He spent lockdown working on his endurance, rebuilding himself back to the rigours of first-class cricket by bowling long hours. But when it was time to go full throttle in the 2022-23 season, he had back pain that was later found to be a stress fracture. That meant that in close to four-and-a-half-years since his breakout season, Chahar had only played four first-class games. Chahar may not change that yet this season, but he wishes to have a bigger say.

"Red-ball cricket has always been an ambition for me and whenever I have gotten a chance, I have played," Chahar says. "But since the last three years, one season we didn't have Ranji Trophy due to covid. After that, I got injured during India A's red-ball tour [in South Africa].

"It was a stress fracture of the back, which is such an injury that requires at least two to three months to recover. And this has happened twice to me, because of which I had to miss the Ranji Trophy season."

In last week's opening game against Haryana in Rohtak, where only 42 overs were possible in the entire game due to bad light, Chahar returned 2 for 22 in his six overs but pulled up sore with a shoulder niggle that will keep him out of the next two games. Chahar admits to being frustrated by the stop-start nature of his red-ball career.

"It becomes really tough, especially when you are out for two to three months due to injury. Mentally, it becomes very difficult," he says. "The first 15-20 days are fine, but after that it becomes frustrating. Every day you feel like, 'can I bowl today? can I bowl a little bit?'

"When I was in the NCA for two-three months, everyday I used to tell them, 'I am feeling better, can I start rolling my arm over from a shorter run-up?' It's a long process back from injury and you have to very patiently bide your time through rehab. I know rehab is boring, but that is the process. There is not much you can do even if you want to. Last year, along with the rehab, I also had to take injections in my back in the NCA two to three times. Even then I took time to recover."

Before his run-ins with injuries, Chahar was on course to becoming a regular feature in the India A and the senior side as well. He played for Rising Supergiant in IPL 2017 but it was with Mumbai Indians, where he really made a name for himself. Chahar returned 13 wickets in 13 matches in IPL 2019 following which he got the India call-up and subsequent T20I debut against West Indies in August 2019.

Chahar had an impressive IPL 2020 and 2021 and was also actively involved with the India A set-up. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021 before being named in India's 2021 T20 World Cup squad ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal because the team management fancied a legspinner who was quicker through the air. Chahar didn't get an extended run, and India's early exit only made it tougher. The injuries that followed meant less time for preparation, which affected his performance in the IPL as well.

"When I was injured twice, I couldn't play in the Ranji Trophy and then directly had to go for the IPL," Chahar says. "And because of the injury, I had less time to prepare for the IPL. For both the IPL [2022 and 2023], I had a preparation time of only around one to one and a half months. Before that, I had not played any cricket for around three months.

"That was a problem because a bowler keeps getting better with rhythm. But if there is an injury then the rhythm breaks and it takes time to get back in the groove. For a legspinner, the more balls he bowls the more his rhythm improves."

The last eight-odd months, however, have been much better for Chahar and Rajasthan. While he had a middling 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Chahar played a starring role in taking Rajasthan to their first Vijay Hazare Trophy final in 16 years, returning 18 wickets in nine games at 15.72. Has he changed anything with respect to his action or load-up to the crease?

"Nope, nothing, didn't see the need to change anything at all," Chahar says. "But yes, sometimes after my back injury, I wasn't able to bend properly while releasing the ball. But now everything has been fine for the last eight months."

Chahar realises there's no point looking too far ahead. He says constant injuries and the worry of niggles have taught him to live in the present. For now, he only wants to derive joy from playing as much as possible and revealing in a team environment he describes as "special".

"It has been great playing under Hooda. This was the first time Rajasthan qualified for the Vijay Hazare in years. The atmosphere in the dressing room has been great; we're like a family," Chahar says. "The biggest difference that I have seen this season is that the players are playing for the team. Earlier a lot of the players were just playing for themselves, which has been a feature of Rajasthan cricket: 'I get my runs, I get the wickets'. But this season it's been different."