Varun Chakravarthy’s big day arrived on Sunday when he made his international debut in the 1st T20I vs Sri Lanka and he made it special by picking up the wicket of Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka. He returned with figures of 1/28 from his 4 overs, to make a decent start to his international career.
India beat Sri Lanka by 38 runs on Sunday in the first T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Suryakumar Yadav’s knock of 50 and skipper Shikhar Dhawan’s 46 at the top of the order helped the tourists post 164 on the board after 20 overs. After that Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/22) and Deepak Chahar (2/24) ensured the wind was taken out of Sri Lanka’s sails in their chase as the team collapsed to 126.
Varun Chakravarthy Finally Debuted And Had A Successful Outing In The 1st T20I
The third spinner in the game for India was debutant Varun Chakravarthy, who finally made his Team India debut. The ‘mystery spinner’, who has made a name for himself by playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, had failed to make his debut in the past despite being named in the Indian squad for the Australia tour and England series as he had failed the fitness test.
But his big day arrived on Sunday and he made it special by picking up the wicket of Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka. Varun Chakravarthy returned with figures of 1/28 from his 4 overs, to make a decent start to his international career.
Varun Chakravarthy Got An X-Factor: VVS Laxman
Former India batsman VVS Laxman lavished praise on Varun Chakravarthy and said that the ‘mystery surrounding his bowling’ gives the spinner an X factor.
“Firstly, I am glad that he (Varun Chakravarthy) got this opportunity because twice he was already selected, but didn’t pass the fitness test and was not part of the squad. I think there’s a lot of chat about the mystery surrounding his bowling,” Laxman said on Star Sports’ show Game Plan.
“I was talking with the Sunrisers batsmen and they are all impressed with the way and the consistency with which he bowls in different parts and phases of the match. He can bowl with the new ball, he can come and take wickets whenever the captain and the team want to break a partnership – that means he’s got an X-factor,” Laxman added.
VVS Laxman further said that Varun Chakravarthy needs to be given more opportunities to play international cricket in order to groom him and that he shouldn’t be expected to show ‘miracles’ from his first game.
“We just want him to get exposure of international cricket and the only way he can do that is by making him play. So, I’m sure that he is really looking forward to this opportunity, but one thing which we have realised over years is make sure you give him the opportunity. Don’t expect miracles from game one. It is very important to show patience and belief in a player,” the former Indian middle order batsman said.
Varun Chakravarthy became the talk of the town after he was purchased for a whopping ₹8.4 crore in the IPL auction by Kings XI Punjab, now Punjab Kings, after a good show in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). He though had an underwhelming season with KXIP and was then bought by KKR, for whom he picked up 24 wickets in 20 games so far.
He has several variations up his sleeve and was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2020 to beef up their spin bowling department. He did not disappoint and picked 17 wickets in the 2020 IPL season at an average of 20.94.
His bowling highlight was a 5-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals and also bamboozling some of the best batsmen in world cricket throughout the season. He picked 7 wickets in IPL 2021 till the postponement of the event due to the bio bubble breach.