There is a strange karmic connection between Varun Chakravarthy and the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS). In the year 2021, it was on this ground that the then Indian coach Ravi Shastri saw him up close for the first time and recommended him to be included in the Test team for the Australia tour, terming him a ‘match-winner’.
However, just a few days later, Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan played him like an ordinary club cricketer and led the Indian team to a crushing 10-wicket defeat in the T20 World Cup. Not only this, he also got a chance to start the attack with the new ball in the same tournament against New Zealand, but he failed to take wickets. His ‘mystery spin’ had faded.
But on Sunday night, the same magic and mystery returned again. This time, the result of the match had no significant impact, so the Indian team fielded an experimental playing XI, which included four spinners and just one specialist fast bowler. Chakraborty got a chance as the fourth spinner and he took full advantage of the opportunity by taking 5 wickets, helping India win the low-scoring match by 44 runs.
Memories of 2021 and Varun’s revenge
After the match, Varun Chakraborty refreshed his old memories and said, “Yes, my personal performance was not good in 2021. But I agree that I bowled well even at that time, only the results were not in our favor. But now things are looking better and Team India is also doing well.”
He bowled 10 overs in three different spells and troubled the New Zealand batsmen with his variations. His brilliant performance forced the Indian team management to consider whether to give him a chance in the upcoming semi-final against Australia. Captain Rohit Sharma said, “He has something different, so we wanted to see what he can offer. We have not thought about the semi-finals yet, but it is a good headache.”
New Zealand batsmen were helpless
New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry, who himself took five wickets in this match, was impressed by Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling. He said, “He was bowling very well. The way he spun the ball on both sides and changed the pace was commendable.”
Chasing a target of 250 runs, the New Zealand team looked strong at a score of 93/2 at one point. But their innings suddenly collapsed. New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner himself admitted that the Indian spinners had them badly tied down. However, Varun Chakravarthy proved to be the most lethal among the four spinners.
This was just his second ODI, but he performed in such a way that it proved that he can be successful in this format as well.
The magic of the “mystery” bowler
Varun Chakravarthy has always been considered a mysterious bowler. Even captain Rohit Sharma believes that Varun does not reveal all his bowling tricks even in the nets. He keeps his weapons hidden so that the batsmen cannot understand them easily.
On Sunday, however, he revealed some secrets of his bowling. “Basically, I have three types of deliveries – one that comes in, one that goes out and the third one that stays straight. But even these can be modified in small ways,” he said.
However, this is easier said than done. His bowling is so nuanced that it becomes extremely difficult for batsmen to read his deliveries. His release point, air flow, change of pace and variations in length make him a dangerous bowler.
How did he get wickets?
Chakravarthy bowled a total of 10 overs in the match and bowled 60 balls. Interestingly, the five deliveries that got him wickets were perhaps not his best deliveries.
- Will Young got an inside edge on one delivery and the ball hit the stumps.
- Glenn Phillips, who had hit a six, was dismissed while trying to be more aggressive.
- Michael Bracewell was given LBW, although the decision was a little controversial.
- He surprised Mitchell Santner with a seam-up delivery.
- Finally, Matt Henry was dismissed trying to score runs quickly.
However, more important than these five balls were the 55 other deliveries in which he put pressure on the batsmen and forced them to commit mistakes.
New avatar in ODIs
Varun Chakravarthy originally came from T20 cricket and made his mark there. In T20, batsmen do not have much time, so they often play shots in a hurry and that is why they are successful. But in ODI cricket, batsmen have more time and this has been a challenge for him.
However, he improved his game in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and adapted himself to this format. He said, “This tournament helped me understand when to bowl which ball. It is completely different from T20 and I had to work hard for this.”
Now his real test will be on Tuesday, when India will face Australia in the semi-finals. Will Varun Chakravarthy be able to maintain this form and take India to the finals? It will be interesting to see. source cricbuzz
Varun Chakravarthy’s Performance in Dubai – FAQs
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