Former Indian head coach Anil Kumble hailed Kolkata Knight Riders comeback man Varun Chakravarthy as a unique bowler and praised him for putting hard yards in the off-season to get his rhythm back in his bowling. The 31-year-old has been a standout performer for the KKR picking up 13 wickets from eight games for his side.
The Tamil Nadu spinner had a disastrous outing in IPL 2022, as he picked up just six wickets from 11 games and was expensive with an economy rate of 8.51, came back stronger to produce a two-match winning performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2023.
Speaking to the Indian Express, in the virtual interaction, Anil Kumble was happy for the KKR spinner’s success in the league as he worked on the technical aspect of the game to improve his action and airspeed to make it difficult for the batters to pick him.
“Varun is certainly a very unique bowler. He has the ability. I am really happy that he has sort of worked things around. Because for a bowler like Varun, the action and speed that he bowls at, if the speed drops, then he is not that effective,” Anil Kumble said.
The Indian spin-bowling legend feels that his speed and trajectory are the primary factors for his success this season and reckons that he has adapted well to the different conditions as this edition of the Indian Premier League is played in a home and away format.
“This year, he has got back the speed that he was bowling at (earlier), the trajectory, and the nip off the surface. And the other fact also remains, that now that the IPL is moving around every city, he has adjusted to that, and it certainly helps his style of bowling,” he said.
The KKR mystery man will look to continue his fine form for the two-time champions in the league and will look to stage a comeback for the Men in Blue. Varun Chakravarthy last played for India in 2021 in the T20 World Cup after which he was dropped and never called up again. In his six appearances in T20Is for India, he picked two wickets at an economy rate of just 5.86.
We Will Know In The Next One Week Where Mumbai Indians Are – Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble believes that Mumbai Indian’s performance in the next few games will influence Rohit Sharma’s decision to rest him for a few games in IPL and said if the Mumbai Indians do well in the forthcoming games, the Indian skipper might play playoffs for his team or else he would start preparing himself for all-important WTC final.
“It all depends on how MI goes along. Whichever team does not qualify, their Indian players will be available (to leave earlier) for the WTC final. It all depends on how IPL progresses, we will know in the next one week where Mumbai Indians are. If they move up, then Rohit needs to be here for the playoffs. If they don’t qualify, some of the players will be available and the earlier you go to England, the better for them,” Anil Kumble said.
Mumbai Indians have been inconsistent in the league stage, with them losing the first two encounters against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, but came back strongly to register a hat-trick of wins, before losing out their way against Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. The five-time champions will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next on April 30 in Wankhede Stadium.