Varun Chakravarthy’s form isn’t a worry for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane voiced confidence in the mystery spinner’s abilities to be a match-winner again and felt the break after the T20 World Cup would do him a world of good.
Varun was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament along with Jasprit Bumrah — 14 apeice — but it was his 9.25 economy which led to speculation about his effectiveness.
“When you have a long career in T20 cricket, firstly, you tend to have such things. It’s almost like a batter sometimes not getting runs. And that’s how cricket is.
“I think with Varun, that’s one of the things, he’s played so much T20 cricket over the past year... So a lot of teams obviously will try things (against him). Sometimes the conditions are not conducive to their style of bowling. You also need to understand he’s always bowling the tough overs for the team. He’s bowling in the Powerplay,” Rahane said during the team’s first news conference this season at Eden Gardens.
“He’s bowling in phases of the game where two batters are set. He’s coming in and trying to pick wickets. So I wouldn’t say there’s anything necessarily wrong with him. He’s had a good 10-day break after the World Cup. I think that break is sometimes what a cricketer requires. And the beauty of team sport is that sometimes if Varun doesn’t turn up, someone else does.”
The captain said that Varun was entitled to have an off day.
“And we don’t want to put that sort of pressure on Varun. He’s been someone who’s delivered year after year. So there’s nothing wrong...
“The conditions and sometimes just the timing... There’s always an expectation from him to pick up wickets... As players, everyone goes through that phase where they’re trying really hard, they’re preparing really well, but they are not able to perform on the field.
“I thought in the World Cup, opposition batters played really well. Let’s give credit to them rather than talking about Varun.
“As a group, we are really confident about Varun... So as a captain and also as a group, as a team, we are not really worried,” Rahane said.
He is also ready to take on the challenge after having failed to make the playoffs last season. “Every year, there are different challenges as a player and also as a captain.
What I learned throughout my journey is to be positive each and every time, whatever
the challenges...
“And as I said, I take everything in a positive way. There are always opportunities, there are challenges, you always see opportunities. So my mindset has always been like that throughout my career, that if I see any challenges, I look at it in a positive way and try to give my best as a player and also as a captain.”
