In the 2017 Vivo IPL, Rahul Chahar became the second-youngest debutant in the tournament’s history. The 18-year-old leg-spinner came up with some impressive performances for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant. The youngster used that experience to good effect on the domestic circuit by helping Rajasthan reach the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where they lost to Delhi. Chahar was picked up at by Mumbai Indians at the Vivo IPL auction in February this year.

In a freewheeling interview, Chahar throws light on his childhood, feeling at home at MI, his cousin Deepak Chahar, learning from Rahul Dravid, dealing with the ICC Under-19 World Cup snub, playing under MS Dhoni, getting advice from Imran Tahir, his auction day story and lots more.

For starters, Chahar is thrilled to be part of MI. “First of all, I would like to say that I’m in love with the Mumbai Indians franchise. Both Rohit (Sharma) bhai and Hardik (Pandya) bhai have been very welcoming. They don’t have airs about them. Even the coaching staff treats us so well. So that feels nice. MI was always my dream team. The team supports the players, especially youngsters. If a player performs well, his performance is highlighted instantly. Knowing that I’m part of MI now, I’m very happy. Your chances of playing for India get better if you perform well for MI,” Chahar says.

Chahar started playing cricket when he was eight. Back then, he used to be scared of the ball. “Both Deepak bhaiyya (Chahar, his cousin who now plays for Chennai Super Kings) and my paternal uncle, who was also my first coach, used to be very protective of me. My uncle never played cricket, but he ensured that I work hard. And Deepak bhaiyya helped me with develop my technique and skills. He taught me how to bowl the googly. I used to run away from the incoming ball, so he made me practise in the nets, so that I don’t get space to run. Wherever I run, he used to throw the ball in that direction. He has played a significant role in my life both on and off field. He’s not just my cousin but a father figure to me,” Chahar recalls.

Chahar was part of the India Under-19 squad for close to two years. He did well all along but was dropped for the marquee event in New Zealand. That said, Chahar didn’t allow the snub to affect him. If anything, it only made him stronger. Also, he relishes the time he spent training under Dravid.

“One of the first things Dravid Sir told us was that we were in the learning stage, and that we must try and learn as much as we could. During one of the earlier Under-19 tours, he said he would observe us carefully. He was more interested about whose game was improving than who was playing well. Another thing I learned from him was you can’t be a good player if you are not a good person.”

Talking about his auction day story, Chahar says, “My name was in the 12th batch, so I thought I would be up for grabs on Day One. So I watched the entire auction on that day. I didn’t move, not even for lunch. I was tense as I wasn’t picked for the ICC Under-19 World Cup earlier. My name didn’t come up on the screen that day. So I realised it would be up on day Two. I decided to sleep late and skip the auction. I told my sister to call me only if some team had picked me. My sister called and said that both Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals were going all out for me. (laughs).”

Chahar is an ardent admirer of Shane Warne, the greatest leg-spinner of all time. “I used to watch his videos. It helped me understand how to impart more revolutions on the ball and generate extra turn. But now things are different. You can’t fool a batsman if you don’t have any variations. My uncle left his job to train my brother and me. Even he didn’t know much about cricket. My brother taught me to bowl the googly, and rest of the variations I picked up on my own while practising in the nets. The mission is to deceive the batsman, whether with a googly, top-spinner or flipper. Imran Tahir bhai taught me the flipper. So I tried bowling these in the nets,” he says.

Chahar also thanked Dhoni and Rahane for helping him find his feet in the Vivo IPL last season. “Both (MS) Dhoni bhai and (Ajinkya) Rahane bhai are similar to Dravid Sir. They also told me that it’s important to be a better person in order to be a better player. Another thing that I learned from Dhoni bhai was to always be calm in difficult situations because nothing can be achieved by losing your cool under pressure. Imran (Tahir) bhai is one of the most humble persons I’ve met. Even if a net bowler approaches him for advice, he readily helps. When our team went to England, I didn’t know how to bowl in those conditions. The ball was slipping away, and I wasn’t able to grip the ball. I knew that Imran bhai plays a lot in England, so I texted him asking for advice. He readily helped me. Whenever I text him regarding a problem, he takes time out and helps me solve it,” he adds.

Chahar turned heads when he dismissed Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season. “Rajasthan met Delhi in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I bowled four dot balls before dismissing Gautam Gambhir bhai, and that too in the powerplay. It was a dream over. He was confused, thinking what will come next. He’s one of the best players of spin. He’s my personal favorite. It was a dream wicket for me. And Yuvraj bhai, he’s a threat to any spinner. It’s a big deal to take his wicket,” he says with pride.

Chahar is always game for some fun. Asked to narrate an interesting episode from his life, he shared with us this gem of a story. “I was very naughty as a kid. I was 12 when I played my first outstation game. My tauji (uncle) had advised me not to eat junk food. I was not allowed to have soft drinks or even gol-gappas. Given that we were in a different city and my tauji wasn’t accompanying us, I took the liberty of having gol-gappas. I thought I had gotten away with it. But when we returned home, my teammate narrated this episode to my tauji. And that was that. My tauji asked me if I had eaten gol-gappas. I said no. He slapped me once. Then, he asked me again. I said I ate one. Another slap! He asked me once gain. I said I ate two. Another slap! And it just went on for some time (chuckles),” he says.

Chahar is confident of doing well in MI colours. We hope he makes an impact whenever he gets a chance.