CHENNAI: Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who recently completed 50 wickets in the Indian Premier League, is gearing up for the high-octane clash against Chennai Super Kings to be played at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Varun has been bowling brilliantly in the season so far. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he claimed a match-winning four-fer (4/15) that included the wickets of Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell. He has now nine wickets in just six games at an economy of 7.52, leading the bowling charts for his side.
“Bowling pretty well at the moment. The ball is coming out beautifully. I am just sticking out to the basics and keeping it simple,’’ Varun told this daily from Kolkata. While KKR has lost their last three games, CSK will be meeting them after a creditable win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway have played a big role in the four wins they have secured this season. However, Varun and KKR are ready with their plans.
“We are aware that CSK is a top side, plus their openers Ruturaj and Conway are in top form. I have nothing special for them and would keep it simple and bowl wicket to wicket,’’ said the 31-year-old.
As someone who has the knack of bowling six different balls in an over, batters who are playing Varun for the first time will be having difficulty reading him. In the past, he has foxed MS Dhoni with his variations.
“Yes I have variety in my armory. I will use them only when needed. I am keen to bowl to my strength and that is bowling wicket to wicket. Keen to choke the batters and see if they commit mistakes,” revealed Varun.
Among other things, Varun will have his partner-in-crime Sunil Narine to lean on if needed. “Sunil is great bowler and I have learnt a lot from him. We are different in the sense that our ability to bowl itself is different. He (Sunil) bowls more side spin and I bowl more over spin, so that’s the difference between us, other than that tactically we both are similar,” he said.
On working with Chandrakant Pandit, who is one of the most successful coaches in the domestic circuit, Varun said that his tactical nous has helped the team devise the plans. “It is great to have him (Pandit) as our coach. He has very good tactical knowledge and helps us with our plans. He gives us the freedom to go out and express ourselves. He is there for us whenever we need help and importantly we can freely discuss our game with him,” said Varun.