DINDIGUL: If R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the best spin duo for Chennai Super Kings, it won’t be wrong to say that Varun Chakravathi and Rahil Shah are doing the same for Siechem Madurai Panthers.
Arguably one of the notable spinning pairs of the third edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), the two have been silently winning matches for Madurai.
A net bowler for CSK, mystery spinner Chakravathi’s variations has been nothing but a puzzle for even his teammates during net sessions. The experience that left-arm spinner Rahil brings with him has added balance to the side. Both finger spinners have been a study in contrast, and have created quite an impact.
Chakravathi’s mix of off-cutters, googlies, and the occasional carrom ball has been difficult to read for many batsmen. Very rarely does he err in his line and length. It won’t come as a surprise that he’s Madurai’s most economical bowler.
Against Ruby Trichy Warriors, he went for 16 in his first two overs, but ended with 0/28, courtesy a very tight second spell. His economy of 5.29 speaks volumes about how he has effectively contained runs. Barring Chakravathi, none of the other Madurai bowlers have conceded less than six runs per over this season.
On the other hand, Rahil has not tried to outdo batsmen with many variations, like his fellow spinner. A bowler who is more like Jadeja, the Tamil Nadu tweaker relies on targetting the stumps with flat, accurate darts. He can also utilise the turn a pitch has to offer to pose an even bigger threat. Six wickets in three matches at ICL Grounds in Tirunelveli is proof for that argument.
The number of wickets taken by Rahil and Chakravathi stood at 14 (seven wickets each from six matches) after their Thursday’s clash against iDream Karaikudi Kaalai. Though the duo might not look very intimidating in terms of their wicket-taking abilities, they don’t make life easy for batsmen.
This was evident with the way a team like Karaikudi — with aggressive batsmen like Srikkanth Anirudha, V Aadithya and Maan K Bafna — found it hard to score at a high pace. With this pair doing wonders, Madurai are looking like genuine title contenders.
srinidhi.pr@newindianexpress.com
Brief scores: iDream Karaikudi Kaalai 158 in 20 ovs (Anirudha 48; Chakravarthy 2/16, Tanwar 2/37,
Akash 2/37) lost to Siechem Madurai Panthers 162/6 in 18.2 ovs (Karthik 85 n.o, Shijit 35; Yo Mahesh 2/33).