Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is setting his eyes on the upcoming T20 World Cup which will be played in UAE and Oman from 17 October. For Varun Chakravarthy to realise his dream, he has to put up a commendable performance in the second phase of the Indian Premier League which will also be held in UAE. He has been the go-to bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the last two seasons and his aim is to make his side qualify for the playoffs.
With a huge pool of spinners, Chakravarthy finds himself in a tricky situation at the moment. He was impressive during his stint with the national team in Sri Lanka but didn’t do anything extraordinary to guarantee his spot in the World Cup squad. Chakravarthy knows that he has to get better and better to vie a spot in the World Cup.
"There's so much competition [for the spin spots for the T20 World Cup] and that's why I need to keep getting better and better. It's not in a negative way; the competition is positive and healthy,” Chakravarthy was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Varun Chakravarthy played all three T20I matches in the Sri Lanka tour. Given his attributes as a T20 bowler and with several players under isolation, Chakravarthy got an extended run but he could only bag two wickets but maintained an exceptional economy rate of 5.30.
Chakravarthy who bowls in the powerplay for the Kolkata Knight Riders, was entrusted with the job even in national colours and he didn’t disappoint. He believes that in international cricket, one cannot afford to choose which overs he would bowl. Rather, he needs to stand up whenever given the opportunities in any juncture of the game whether the powerplay or in the death overs.
"In professional cricket, you can't say that I won't bowl at powerplay or death. I'm now used to bowling in the powerplay and death," he said. "I'm comfortable anywhere I get to bowl; it's just about executing properly. It's not about where you are bowling. If you execute properly, you will do well, that's what I feel."
"The preparation changes when I bowl at the death, obviously. The way the batsmen approach at the death will be different from the middle overs. So, in the middle, the field will be there to save the single and in the death, obviously, there will be some protection at the boundary line and you bowl accordingly. I focus on bowling more fuller and yorker balls in the death,” he added.