NEWS
Follow UsRahul Chahar was slammed for 10 runs off his first four deliveries but the 21-year-old didn't go hiding and helped Mumbai Indians snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday (April 13). The legspinner returned with match-winning figures of 4/27 as Kolkata failed to score 31 in their last five overs despite having six wickets in hand.
"I've bowled to the Indian team, the big players in the nets, and when you do that, the pressure is less in a match scenario. This is my fourth year with Mumbai Indians, and I bowl to some of the world's best hitters, so I don't feel pressure in the match," said Chahar after Mumbai registered their first win of the season.
Chahar, who recently featured in the T20I series against England, bowled with great courage despite being hit for a four and a six by Shubman Gill in his first four deliveries. Chasing 153, Gill and Nitish Rana had already added 72 runs in less than nine over but that's when Chahar turned the game on its head.
He first got rid of Gill in the same over and then dismissed Rahul Tripathi in his second over. Chahar picked up a wicket in each of his four overs, with Eoin Morgan and Rana being the next two victims.
"I know Shubman Gill well from the under-19 days, and I also know he can’t keep hitting me out of the park on a regular basis. I can spin at 90 kph and that’s my strength. I had an idea about Nitish walking down the track, so I bowled a flipper outside off on the last ball of my spell. I enjoyed Rahul Tripathi's wicket, particularly. I got him exactly the way a legspinner would want to get a batsman," said Chahar.
"Sometimes, Rohit Sharma has had more confidence in me than I've had on myself. All Rohit told me was "you're bowling well, sometimes even I'm not able to understand what (variations) you're bowling (in the nets). So just focus on turning the ball consistently.' I knew if there was someone who could make a difference here, it was the spinners."
"... he (Rohit) told me "bowl with confidence... you're bowling well, sometimes even I'm not able to understand (your variations in the nets). They (KKR batters) would also feel the same way. Just keep your focus, bowl in good length and try to get spin'," Chahar said in the virtual press conference.
"I knew if there was someone who could be the gamechanger in such a match, it was the spinners. I always had the confidence."
Used to bowling to top Indian players
"I'm used to bowling to the top Indian players in the nets, and when you do that, the pressure is less in a match scenario like this. So there was nothing much going in my mind," he said.
"This is my fourth year with MI, I've been bowling to the likes of Pollard, Hardik, considered among the world's best hitters. So I don't feel much pressure."
Chahar and Krunal Pandya bowled well in tandem. Picking up wickets of Rana and then of the experienced Shakib Al Hasan proved to be the turning point. Talking about his bowling partnership with Krunal, the leg-spinner said, "We both played well. He (Krunal) also had a good spell, restricting the run flow. We got some help from the wicket," he said.
"It was a close match. We always had the belief that (Jasprit) Bumrah and (Trent) Boult would turn the match in the death overs," he signed off.
Chahar remained wicketless in his last three IPL encounters but made up for it by registering his best IPL figures. MI take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their next game in Chennai.