Out-of-favor Indian spinner Rahul Chahar made history during the final round of the 2025 County Championship matches. Chahar was the star performer in Surrey's thrilling 20-run victory against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, a win that secured a second-place finish for the Rory Burns-led side.
Rahul Chahar's historic debut for Surrey
Making his debut for the London-based team, Chahar's first innings performance saw him take two wickets while conceding 67 runs. However, it was in the second innings that the leg-spinner truly shone, delivering a stunning spell of 8-51. His exceptional bowling performance single-handedly carried Surrey to victory while they were defending a target of just 181 runs.
With this remarkable feat, Rahul Chahar etched his name into the history books. He broke a 166-year-old record to register the best figures by a debutant for Surrey in the county's history. Furthermore, Chahar is the first player in Surrey’s 119-year history of playing first-class cricket to claim eight wickets in an innings while playing his very first match for the club.
Rahul Chahar's 8/51 breaks 166-year-old record
Rahul Chahar's remarkable performance resulted in career-best match figures of 10-118 in first-class cricket, surpassing his previous best of 9/148. His 8/51 in the second innings also stands as his best innings bowling performance. These figures are the third-best by any Surrey bowler in the 21st century, trailing only Kemar Roach's 8/40 and Martin Bicknell's 9/45.
Washington Sundar becomes Chahar's bunny
Interestingly, Chahar managed to dismiss star Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar in both innings, getting him out for 56 and 11 runs, respectively. Speaking of Sundar, he also contributed to the match by taking three wickets for just five runs in Surrey's first innings, which included the wicket of Chahar himself. However, Sundar was unable to claim any wickets in the second innings. This historic outing significantly boosted Chahar's career statistics. Before this match, he had played 25 first-class games, securing 97 wickets in total. While he had eight five-wicket hauls previously, the dominant performance against Hampshire marked the first time in his career that he achieved a 10-wicket match haul.
Despite his impressive domestic and recent County Championship performances, Rahul Chahar has yet to make his debut in Test cricket for India, though he was previously named in the squad for the home series against England in 2021.
Chahar has represented the senior Indian team in white-ball cricket, featuring in one ODI and six T20Is. His last appearance for the Men in Blue came during the 2021 T20 World Cup.