In the away fixture against Chennai Super Sings last night, Punjab Kings’ skipper Sam Curran had a tough call to make for the 19th over. The CSK scoreboard read 146/2 and the hosts had MS Dhoni and Moeen Ali in the middle. PBKS had done a brilliant job with the ball so far and needed a tight finish in the last two overs to keep the total within chasing distance.
Harshal Patel had three overs left but captain Curran made the boldest call of the season when he tossed the ball to Rahul Chahar. The leggie had conceded just 13 from his first three overs but had to find a way to keep the belligerent Dhoni quiet. Six deliveries later, the 24-year-old vindicated his captain’s call as he conceded just three runs, didn’t give MSD an inch and picked the wicket of Moeen Ali in the process.
In the shortest format, Dhoni has found it tough to get going against the leg-spinners and his strike rate is just 106.7. He has been dismissed 19 times in the IPL by the right-arm wrist-spinners and Curran played the match-up card perfectly at a crucial juncture of the game. The brakes were applied and Chahar deserves a pat on the back for executing his plans under immense pressure in front of a sea of yellow at the Chepauk.
The youngster has played just five games this season but has already left an impact with his performance last night and that tight spell in the run-feast vs Kolkata Knight Riders. In an exclusive interaction with CricketNext ahead of the CSK fixture, the leggie spoke at length about the season, the injury troubles in the household, his plans in this challenging edition of the IPL and more. Edited excerpts:
Your thoughts on the mixed season so far for the Punjab Kings?
I think we haven’t clicked as a batting unit so far. We have lost early wickets in most games and have done well in games where we have got good starts. Our bowling has been really good throughout the tournament, batting there were some issues but what we did in that game against Kolkata Knight Riders, was we showed the world our capabilities with the bat.
There were plenty of close games this season, as a group is there frustration to not close out those fixtures?
Whenever we speak to the management, the word is that only. We are playing good cricket and lost four matches in the last over. Had we won those, we would have been somewhere else on the table.
You lost the services of regular captain Shikhar Dhawan, what has the leadership change been like?
There is some difference for sure, there is some problem initially with not having a regular skipper but Sam Curran led the side last year too. So there is not any major change and things normalise in 1-2 games.
Looking at your performances this season, how satisfied are you? And is there growing sympathy for fellow bowlers seeing the amount of runs being scored these days?
Yes, I do have sympathy for my fellow bowlers and the game has completely changed for the bowlers. There were occasions in the past where batters would play cautiously in the middle overs but now they are going after everything. Batters used to take 10 balls earlier but now they go after everything. I think the importance of economical bowlers is more than wicket-taking bowlers these days. A bowler who can end his four overs by giving just 30 runs. My focus also remains on that to give as few runs as possible.
How much change did you have to make to your bowling and plans to tackle the batters this season?
Not a major change for me because whatever cricket I have played since my early days, my strength has been to keep it tight. For me, wickets came secondary. Whether it’s the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy or the last year of the IPL, my economy was good but the wickets were fewer. I was looking to go for wickets earlier in the IPL but when I was dropped, I focussed and backed my strength to keep it tight.
What about having a strong mindset?
A strong mindset is very important because you need to keep guessing what the batter is going to do. You have to play with the batter’s mind because these days every second-third ball will be connected by them. You can’t continuously bowl the same ball, have to keep it different. So for example, as a leg-spinner, one should try to bowl one wide, mix it up with a yorker to not allow any elevation… If you do things differently, the job becomes much easier.
You have Sunil Joshi in the dugout as the spin-bowling coach. How much help has he been with the loads of experience he brings to the table?
He is very helpful and we do all our planning with him as a spin-bowling group. He keeps telling me that a leg-spinner’s job is to pick wickets but I think a bit differently… during low-scoring games, those things come in handy as you have to attack the batter more.
With Harpreet Brar as the other spinner, how important is it to keep discussing with him and keep bowling well in tandem? We have seen this year for Delhi Capitals how Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav have done so well.
It plays a very important role. If I bowl ahead of him or vice-versa, we give our feedback on the wicket to each other and then make our plans accordingly. The kind of lengths we should eye for depends on the surfaces. So I feel the conversation is very important.
If you could share some conversations from that game against KKR…
We didn’t speak much in the last game (laughs) because I had bowled out when he came on to bowl.
What are your thoughts on BCCI’s new directive to players on playing domestic fixtures? According to you, how much does it help to play consistent domestic cricket before playing the IPL
It’s very important to play domestic cricket. I still remember in 2019 … I was bowling with a brilliant rhythm. I was fresh from bowling 700-800 overs in the domestic season and carried that rhythm in the IPL. I also want to tell the world that I didn’t play red ball for three years because I was injured. People think I intentionally skip red ball matches but I fractured my back twice and hurt my shoulder this season.
When you look back at your dream season, where you went on to play for India too… what do you think went wrong that pushed you out of reckoning?
I think injury played a big role. If you get injured 2-3 times, it breaks your rhythm. I got injured while playing for India A too, twice. The same back problem happened there too. When it happens continuously for two years, you have to restart from zero.
Injuries are a big concern in the Chahar household right? Do you and Deepak casually discuss or are frustrated with picking injuries just when everything seems to go right?
This is the biggest topic in our house. My grandmother is over 80 and she says ‘humare baccho pe kisi ne jaadu, tona kar diya hai’ (someone has done black magic on our kids)
What are your thoughts on the Impact Player rule?
I don’t think this rule should be here. As kids, we have been practising keeping 11 players in mind. Cricket has changed because of this and even bowlers who could bat a bit have been pushed to the sidelines. There is room for only proper batters or bowlers now. Playing twelve doesn’t make sense.
When you talk to captains and players you have played with at the international level, what has been the biggest learning?
The biggest feedback I have got is that there will be ups and downs in a player’s life. When you get success, you shouldn’t get carried away and when there is a low period you shouldn’t get very disappointed. Maintaining that balance is key.
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