Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Shane Watson revealed that Varun Chakravarthy was struggling with pain during the team’s playoffs. The former Australian all-rounder praised the mystery spinner for continuing to bowl crucial overs despite physical discomfort.
The three-time IPL champions won against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday, May 20. Chakraborty did not take a wicket, but bowled economically, conceding only 28 runs in his four overs. The mystery spinner is playing an important role in KKR’s bowling plans.
He is clearly playing despite a little pain – Shane Watson on Varun Chakravarthy
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Shane Watson talked about Varun Chakravarthy’s recovery. Watson said the spinner wants to continue playing despite the painful leg injury.
“Well, I’m not exactly sure where he is on his rehabilitation journey at the moment. All I know is that he’s obviously going through a bit of pain at the moment, which shows how brave he is, how much he wants to be here to contribute to KKR, and he’s still bowling brilliantly.”
Chakraborty suffered a hairline fracture in his left leg while fielding during the match against Delhi Capitals on 8 May. He missed the next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before returning against Gujarat Titans (GT) without being fully fit.
It’s been great to see the turnaround – Shane Watson on Varun Chakraborty
Shane Watson expressed satisfaction over Varun Chakravarthy’s improvement during the final stages of the tournament. The assistant coach praised the spinner’s commitment and said that he has become vital for the Knight Riders in pressure matches.
“It has been fantastic to see the transformation he has seen in the first few games of the season and he has been able to perform consistently in every single game. We are very fortunate to have someone of Varun’s skill set and also his eagerness to come here and play for KKR.”
Varun struggled badly at the start of the season and failed to take a single wicket in his first three matches. He conceded 105 runs during that period as opposition batsmen handled his variations with ease.
Very grateful for everything he continues to do – Shane Watson
The former cricketer said that Varun Chakravarthy could have chosen to rest but instead remained committed to helping Kolkata Knight Riders during the playoff race. Watson also mentioned the unfortunate collision he had with Angkrish Raghuvanshi during the match.
“Because of the pain he’s dealing with, he could have easily said, ‘I don’t want to be a part of this, I’m just going to go and put it to rest.’ So we’re very fortunate to have him with us and he did a great job again tonight. Obviously Angakrish had an unfortunate collision with Raghuvanshi, but he did a great job again tonight. So we are very grateful for everything he is doing for KKR.”
After a difficult start to the season, Varun regained control of his rhythm and bowling in the latter stages of the tournament. He has taken 10 wickets at economy rate in ten matches 8.78.
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