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Ahead of the second T20I against England in Chennai, Varun Chakravarthy shared his thoughts on various aspects of his career and performance on Friday. The spinner, who was the Player of the Match in India's dominant win in Kolkata, spoke about the significance of playing in Chennai, his role in the team, and the value of domestic cricket.
"Back to Chennai and in the Blues is very important for me, and I see it as a very important day for me," Varun said in the pre-match press conference, reflecting on the emotional significance of playing in his hometown. "Playing for my country in front of my parents and the home crowd is very special," he added. Varun elaborated on his role in the team, emphasizing the need to stay focused and aggressive. "My role is to just be aggressive and be brave and keep bowling at the stumps. That has been my role," he explained. Addressing the team environment, he added, "As you mentioned, there is no added responsibility. What I have seen is, GG [Gautam Gambhir] and Surya [Suryakumar Yadav], they make sure that there is no external stress on the players. So, they keep the external noise away." The mystery spinner also highlighted his efforts to improve his batting. "I have been working on batting for the last 6-7 months. I started my preparation in KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders] with Abhishek Nair. That kind of helped me. Still a lot of work to do," Varun admitted. Varun underlined the high standards of domestic cricket in India, particularly the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), and how it has helped him grow as a player. "Definitely, the level of cricket in the domestic circuit is extremely high. I would say almost on par with IPL [Indian Premier League] and the other international matches we play," he said. "I would really suggest everyone to go and play the Syed Mushtaq Ali because we play on small grounds. It is very challenging. I find it very tough playing SMAT. It has definitely helped me to get better, be more instinctive, be on my toes, and think correctly at the right moment," he said. Varun Chakravarthy's contributions were pivotal in India's resounding victory in the first T20I, and the home crowd in Chennai will undoubtedly be eager to see him replicate that performance in the second game. Since his return to T20Is and international cricket last year, Chakravarthy has taken 20 wickets in eight T20Is at an average of 11.70, with best figures of 5/17. In the first match, India won the toss and elected to field. England lost wickets at regular intervals, with only skipper Jos Buttler (68 off 44 balls, with eight fours and two sixes) putting up a fight for the Three Lions. England was restricted to 132 in 20 overs. Chakravarthy (3/23) was the top wicket-taker for India, while Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel each took two wickets. In the run-chase, Sanju Samson (26 off 20 balls, with four boundaries and a six) put on a 41-run stand with Abhishek Sharma (79 off 34 balls, with five fours and eight sixes), who single-handedly led India to victory with seven wickets and 43 balls to spare. (ANI)
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