- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 218,140
Hearing a lot about him and how he could be the mystery weapon for India.
==
When you think of India's spin prowess for the T20 World Cup, you think of one spinner, who, if he remains fit, has the potential to be the team's 'demolition man' in the mega event.
In 'mystery spinner' Varun Chakravarthy - who possesses an assortment of carrom balls, leg breaks, off-breaks and the one that goes straight through - India may actually have an ace in the pack, which few opponents have a clue about.
It is inevitable, isn't it? "Not on our watch! Not today!" This is how Team India's cricketers may react if allowed to dwell on the impossibility of maintaining the team's near-three-decade domination of Pakistan in World Cup matches.
You get an idea of the potency of Chakravarthy when former India leggie Narendra Hirwani declares that Chakravarthy will be India's 'secret weapon' in the World Cup. "Varun will be our trump card amongst the spinners. Every team will find it difficult to play him. He's worked with me at the National Cricket Academy, where I was the spin bowling coach. He's a 'mystery,' which can destroy any batting line-up. Unlike other spinners, he thinks only about T20 cricket," Hirwani tells TOI.
It's his sheer unpredictability, Hirwani asserts, that makes the 30-year-old extremely dangerous for batters. "If he himself doesn't know which ball he will bowl next, how will the batter know? He can decide to bowl anything at the last moment, which a batter will have no idea about. Like a good batter has 'time' to play his shots, Varun has the God-gift of 'time' while bowling his deliveries.
This is because his head remains still while delivering the ball. It's his fingers that do the magic," outlines Hirwani.
Pointing out where the Tamil Nadu tweaker holds the edge over other spinners in the tournament, Hirwani says: "Few batters in international cricket have played Varun. Those who've played him in the IPL, have been left stumped by him. They look to play out his four overs. You can keep watching his videos and analyse how to play him, but it's a completely different proposition to play him in the middle."
Chakravarthy first came into the limelight when he picked up 17 wickets, including a devastating spell of 5-20 against the Delhi Capitals in IPL-2020. In IPL-2021, appearing even more unplayable, he took 18 wickets in 17 games@24.88, at an economy rate of 6.58. His magnificent spin partnership with Sunil Narine was a major reason why the Kolkata Knight Riders reached the final. As long as his dodgy knees are able to bear the workload, Chakravarthy should be a headache for the other teams.
Hirwani decodes what makes Chakravarthy such a tricky customer. "He bowls at more than 85km/hour. You don't have time to think about how to play him. As a batter, your reactions need to be fast to play him. You don't have time to think, and 95% of the batters think before they play the ball. To make it worse for the batters, he remains expressionless while delivering the ball. You just don't know what's coming out of his hand. He can be deadly," explains Hirwani, who played 17 Tests and 18 ODIs for India in the 80s and 90s.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...o-be-indias-spin-ace/articleshow/87233563.cms
==
When you think of India's spin prowess for the T20 World Cup, you think of one spinner, who, if he remains fit, has the potential to be the team's 'demolition man' in the mega event.
In 'mystery spinner' Varun Chakravarthy - who possesses an assortment of carrom balls, leg breaks, off-breaks and the one that goes straight through - India may actually have an ace in the pack, which few opponents have a clue about.
It is inevitable, isn't it? "Not on our watch! Not today!" This is how Team India's cricketers may react if allowed to dwell on the impossibility of maintaining the team's near-three-decade domination of Pakistan in World Cup matches.
You get an idea of the potency of Chakravarthy when former India leggie Narendra Hirwani declares that Chakravarthy will be India's 'secret weapon' in the World Cup. "Varun will be our trump card amongst the spinners. Every team will find it difficult to play him. He's worked with me at the National Cricket Academy, where I was the spin bowling coach. He's a 'mystery,' which can destroy any batting line-up. Unlike other spinners, he thinks only about T20 cricket," Hirwani tells TOI.
It's his sheer unpredictability, Hirwani asserts, that makes the 30-year-old extremely dangerous for batters. "If he himself doesn't know which ball he will bowl next, how will the batter know? He can decide to bowl anything at the last moment, which a batter will have no idea about. Like a good batter has 'time' to play his shots, Varun has the God-gift of 'time' while bowling his deliveries.
This is because his head remains still while delivering the ball. It's his fingers that do the magic," outlines Hirwani.
Pointing out where the Tamil Nadu tweaker holds the edge over other spinners in the tournament, Hirwani says: "Few batters in international cricket have played Varun. Those who've played him in the IPL, have been left stumped by him. They look to play out his four overs. You can keep watching his videos and analyse how to play him, but it's a completely different proposition to play him in the middle."
Chakravarthy first came into the limelight when he picked up 17 wickets, including a devastating spell of 5-20 against the Delhi Capitals in IPL-2020. In IPL-2021, appearing even more unplayable, he took 18 wickets in 17 games@24.88, at an economy rate of 6.58. His magnificent spin partnership with Sunil Narine was a major reason why the Kolkata Knight Riders reached the final. As long as his dodgy knees are able to bear the workload, Chakravarthy should be a headache for the other teams.
Hirwani decodes what makes Chakravarthy such a tricky customer. "He bowls at more than 85km/hour. You don't have time to think about how to play him. As a batter, your reactions need to be fast to play him. You don't have time to think, and 95% of the batters think before they play the ball. To make it worse for the batters, he remains expressionless while delivering the ball. You just don't know what's coming out of his hand. He can be deadly," explains Hirwani, who played 17 Tests and 18 ODIs for India in the 80s and 90s.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...o-be-indias-spin-ace/articleshow/87233563.cms
, he is ordinary by Indian and Pakistani standards, but now thanks to BD will see him a few more times...
