After some consecutive unfortunate performances for Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy, former Indian fast bowler Irfan Pathan has expressed serious concerns about his tactical approach more than his skills. He also pointed out the flaws in Varun’s bowling and claimed that if he is doing this deliberately then it is a matter of great concern for India.
India’s best performance in this ICC World Cup has been not performing up to its potential. One of the classic examples is numbers. India’s number 1 bowler in recent times, Varun Chakravarthy. The spinner has had a good tournament till the Super-8, but since then he has failed to make an impact.
Instead, the players have not even felt the pressure of being a part of Chakraborty’s India XI. In the last two Super-8 matches, the leggie has taken 3 wickets at a dreadful average of 41 and an economy of 10.25. The last two matches were against South Africa and Zimbabwe.
“Varun Chakraborty is a matter of concern” – Irfan Pathan
Going forward in the competition, India will need their best spinner. West Indies batsmen have been very effective against the spinners. He defeated Keshav Maharaj, Sikandar Raza and Graeme Creamer in the last two matches, and Chakraborty will have to be at his best against an opposition consisting mainly of right-handed batsmen.
However, citing that Varun Chakravarthy will be competing against the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford, former Indian fast bowler Irfan Pathan has expressed deep concern over his strategy in the do-or-die game for India. He believes that Varun has lagged far behind in the last few matches.
“One point of concern is Varun Chakravarthy. I also said in the commentary that about 63 per cent of his balls were short. Varun is not usually the kind of spinner who bowls at four meters of length; his length is a little shorter comparatively.
“But it shouldn’t be so short that it misses the top of the stump completely. In the last two matches, he has been bowling fuller to left-handed batsmen, but against right-handed batsmen, his length has looked lacking,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“If he is deliberately practicing bowling so short, it could lead to complications” -Pathan said from Chennai
Irfan Pathan further emphasized that he made this observation not only in the match but also in the nets in Chennai. Therefore, he pointed out that if Varun Chakravarthy bowls short intentionally, it will be a big concern for India.
“I also didn’t like some of the practice scenes from Chennai. As I kept saying in the commentary, if he is deliberately practicing bowling so little, it could lead to complications.
“There should not be unnecessary complications. Varun Chakravarthy is still our number one bowler. Yes, the last two matches have not been good and it is a matter of concern,” he said.
However, he contradicted himself, saying that sometimes the bowler needs to be trusted and he needs to be supported if he wants to bowl a little shorter.
“If he comes around the wicket, especially for left-handed batsmen, he should try to come a little closer to the stumps. Just one or two small changes are enough,” said Pathan, asking Varun Chakravarthy not to complicate things too much.
Supporting the Indian spinner, Pathan said, “Varun Chakraborty can also make a comeback in Kolkata.”
After pointing out the flaws in Varun’s campaign in the last two matches and ways to get back into form, Irfan Pathan also exuded confidence that the Indian spinner can make a full comeback in the next game, which is scheduled against West Indies at the Eden Gardens.
Chakravarthy plays for Kolkata Knight Riders and plays most of his off-season cricket here; However, Chidambaram was also his home ground, where he failed to trigger. He predicted:
“In fact, I would say that in the upcoming match against West Indies, because he knows the Kolkata pitch very well, I expect him to make a comeback. Just like Abhishek Sharma returned to form in this match, similarly Varun Chakravarthy can also make a comeback in Kolkata after being a bit quiet in the last two matches. If he takes one or two quick wickets against West Indies, he can create a lot of pressure. That’s my little prediction.”
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