Rahul Chahar will swap late-season sunshine in Jaipur for the more autumnal feel of Southampton this week after signing on for Surrey’s last County Championship match, away to Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl. The 26-year-old leg-spinner was registered at the start of the month, yet only now gets the call as the holders chase a fourth straight title.
Surrey sit 14 points behind leaders Nottinghamshire, so the equation is blunt: win and hope Notts collect ten points or fewer against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge. Not ideal, although stranger things have happened in late September.
Chahar’s red-ball record is tidy enough – 87 wickets in 24 first-class games at 26.12, with a best match haul of 9 for 148 – and he has six T20Is and a solitary ODI for India on the CV. A one-off appearance for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s IPL kept his white-ball eye in, but the bulk of his recent overs came for Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy.
Quotes first, because they matter. “I’m excited to join Surrey for this week’s match,” Chahar said. “I’m coming here to have an impact and help the team in their final match of the season.” Simple, straight, no fuss.
Alec Stewart, Surrey’s high-performance adviser, explained the thinking after injuries to Will Jacks and Cam Steel left the club short of spin. “Adding Rahul to the squad gives us another spin option at the Utilita Bowl,” he said, before expanding: “We always knew that we would be missing players for the final period of the season and try to plan accordingly given the potential surfaces and the opposition we’re playing.
“We had originally earmarked for Sai Kishore to return for the latter stages of the season but he unfortunately has a finger injury resulting in an operation has meant he was unavailable.”
Those knocks forced Surrey’s hand, though Chahar had been on the radar for a while. The ECB’s early-September registration deadline was met, removing any admin hurdles.
How might he fare? Utilita Bowl pitches can grip late in the year, especially if the sun appears between the unavoidable showers. Hampshire’s batting has been solid rather than spectacular; Ben Brown and James Vince offer know-how, while the lower order often chips in. If Chahar lands his googly early and Surrey’s seamers – still their main weapon – nick out a couple up top, the visitors could yet turn the title race on its head.
Then again, they still need Nottinghamshire to slip. That fixture at Trent Bridge has its own sub-plots, not least the return of former Warwickshire seamer Jake Ball to his home county charge. Live tables will be refreshed by the hour; nerves will fray.
Whatever happens, Chahar gets a fresh crack at English first-class cricket, Surrey gain a frontline spinner, and the Championship goes to the wire. For late September, that feels about right.
