The 27-year-old has spent a major share of the last 27 days behind bars and the only time he enjoyed freedom was when he was let off on bail to marry his long-time girl friend Neha on June 2. A wedding that was supposed to be big, fat and pompous was reduced to a hush-hush affair, with the crime branch officials keeping an eye on the guest list.
Subsequently, the left-arm spinner was back in jail before being finally granted bail on Tuesday along with his Rajasthan Royals teammate Sreesanth and 17 others. On Wednesday, Chavan finally reached home a 'free' man.
He still had to face the media, which had been camping for more than a month at his residence, which is ironically located near Shivaji Park, a cricketing nursery for so many Mumbai greats.
On Thursday morning, the tainted Mumbai bowler stepped out of his house and finally gathered the courage to say a few words to the media, in a bid to show that he was prepared to fight it out and that he was innocent. Sadly, while he spoke along those lines, his body language gave away the true picture. He looked tired, shattered, downcast, almost as if he was in the midst of a nightmare.
"I have always given my 100%, always played my cricket with passion. I just hope that I get a positive result from the judiciary so that I can start my career and my cricket again," Chavan said in a choked voice. Of course, he wasn't willing divulge details of his case. He knows a long, and expensive, legal battle towards restoring his career may just have begun. Deep inside, he must be fearing: 'Will it be too late by the time I come out of this mess?' His image, without doubt, has been dented for life.
"I would just like to say, the matter is sub judice, I don't want to comment on it," he said. "I would like to thank the judiciary for giving me bail. I would also like to thank my lawyer, he has really worked a lot for me. Secondly my family and friends, they have supported me a lot," he said.
His elder brother, Nihar, who has kept a cool head throughout the crisis which has shaken the family, revealed that Chavan, in fact, was "calmer after having spent a day with his family". Another relative said, "It has also helped that his wife has stood by him like a rock. It is a huge boost to see your partner back you in times like these."
The Chavan residence, a modest ground-floor house, stands out amidst residential buildings on either side. Near the gate are kept a couple of Warli paintings that decorate the drawing rooms of most middle-class Maharashtrian homes. There is a small temple at the entrance in which gods of all religions find their place. It is clear the embattled family is seeking divine help to survive this storm.
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