IND vs SA | Going forward one step at a time, says Rahul Chahar
After a considerably long wait for the Chahar brothers, Rahul and Deepak, they got to be a part of the same playing XI when India toured West Indies in August. In the opening T20I game of the three-match series, India included Deepak as well and also handed Rahul his debut cap.
While the elder sibling Deepak had already made his international debut for India, Rahul was still waiting for his turn which finally came in the T20I series in the Caribbean. The brothers are still ecstatic about it and are cherishing the experience of living the dream.
“We both (Deepak and Rahul) lived this dream since childhood. We both wanted to feature in the same eleven for India one day. I am really happy the dream has come true. Abhi to start hai..abhi to bahot aage jana hai (This is just the beginning, there is a long way to go),” Rahul Chahar was quoted by the TOI.
Ahead of the toss in the first T20I vs the West Indies, receiving his first cap from the India captain Virat Kohli was encouraging for the youngster. Debutant Rahul dismissed West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite, and his debut also turned out to be lucky for his brother as Deepak produced brilliant figures of 3 for 4 in 3 overs and hence bagged the Man of the Match award.
“Kohli bhaiya said - ‘good luck and do well’ while handing the debut cap to me. I got to know about my debut from Ravi Shastri sir in the morning. They are both (Shastri and Kohli) very encouraging. I am proud that I am playing under Virat bhaiya,” Rahul said.
“Getting a batsman like Brathwaite out was a big thing for me on debut. He is a star batsman. Every bowler wants to take at least one wicket on his debut. For me, it was an amazing feeling,” Rahul said.
After a great start for Rahul, the pair of brothers are now up for their next assignment, which is the three-match T20I series against South Africa, which commences on September 15 in Dharamsala.
“I want to take one step at a time in my career. Whatever will come my way, I want to grab it with both hands. West Indies done and now it’s time for South Africa. I want to give my 100 percent. I have learnt a lot from the West Indies series,” a confident Rahul said.
“For a bowler, playing red ball cricket is very important. This is my opinion. You will get accuracy and most importantly patience from red-ball cricket. When you apply that experience in limited overs cricket, it gives you good result. You get to read a batsman properly in red ball cricket," he said.
“The reason of my good performance in the IPL was playing the red ball game," the youngster said.
Lastly, the youngster has acknowledged and credited his progress to his elder brother who has been guiding him since childhood. “I have learnt so much from Deepak bhaia. I was a kid then. Whatever Deepak bhaia used to learn, he would pass it on to me,” he concluded.