New Delhi: Varun Chakravarthy’s match-winning performance on his Champions Trophy debut could force India to field four spinners in their semi-final against Australia on Tuesday.
Chakravarthy’s 5/42 shaped up India’s 44-run win over New Zealand on Sunday that ensured they topped the group with three consecutive victories. Chasing 250 runs, New Zealand crumbled under the pressure of India’s four spinners in Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
The quartet picked up nine of the 10 NZ wickets in a dominating display at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and with India’s semifinal scheduled to be played at the slowish wickets of the same venue, skipper Rohit Sharma acknowledged the temptation to field tham again against Australia.
“We really need to think, even if we want to play four spinners, how we can squeeze four spinners. The reason I say it is because we are very much aware of the conditions here and we know exactly what works and what doesn’t work,” Rohit said on the eve of the match.
“So, we will think about it, what is the right combination to go with, but it is tempting.”
‘Something different’
Chakravarthy replaced pacer Harshit Rana in India’s playing XI against New Zealand and made a star turn, with his ‘mysterious’ bowling, forcing the team management to consider him for selection against Australia.
“He just showed what he is capable of. Now, it is up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right. He got a game, and he did everything that was asked for,” Sharma said.
“He has got something different about him and when he gets it right, he knocks people over and he takes 5-5. So, it is very tempting to think about what to do, which is a good headache to have.
“We will also assess the Australian batting lineup to see what kind of bowling options will work against them.”
Chakravarthy had a torrid time at the same venue in the 2021 T20 World Cup against Pakistan and was subsequently dropped from the national team. But he has improved a lot as a bowler in the last four years, which Rohit attributed to his match-winning form.
“He has become more accurate now from the last time he played for India in 2021. There was a little bit of inexperience in him as well because he hadn’t played a lot of cricket,” the skipper explained.
“But right now in the last two or three years he has played a lot of cricket whether it’s domestic cricket, IPL and now for India in T20s and now the ODIs as well. So, he understands his bowling really well.”
Sharma added that Chakravarthy’s multiple variations have added an aura of mystique around him tht batters are finding to difficult to decipher.
“You know, some of our batters also couldn’t figure that (variations) out , which is always nice. His pace variation now is superb. When you have a little bit of mystery, you don’t want to be a one-dimensional bowler and bowl with the same speed,” he said.
“You need something different, the pace variation and the accuracy as well. So, he has worked on both and now you see that he is getting a lot of wickets which is a good sign for us as a team.”
Varun Chakravarthy’s 5/42 shaped up India’s 44-run win over New Zealand on Sunday that ensured they topped the group with three consecutive victories. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
