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Following the seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals (DC), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took three wickets during the middle overs, opened up on the support he received from coaches, team owner Shahrukh Khan and veteran spinner Sunil Narine after a tough match against Punjab Kings on Friday.
Chakravarty made a comeback to remember as after conceding 46 runs in three overs against Punjab during a run-fest which saw PBKS pull off the highest run-chase in T20s, he took wickets of DC skipper Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubbs and Kumar Kushagra to apply the brakes on their run-rate. Then during the chase, Phil Salt hit an explosive half-century that pretty much confirmed a victory during the powerplay itself. Speaking after the game in the post-match presentation, Chakravarthy said, "Mostly when something does not go well for me, he (Narine) is always there. After conceding so many runs in the last game, it was a tough pill. Everyone, including Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach) and Shahrukh Khan spoke to me and that was nice." The spinner also said that the pitch was holding a bit and turned more as the match progressed. He also revealed his favourite wicket out of the three he took. "It (the pitch) was holding a bit and you could see as the game progressed, it was turning more. The Stubbs one was my favourite," said Chakravarthy. Coming to the game, DC opted to bat first after winning the toss and they never really got going as a batting unit. Skipper Rishabh made 27 in 20 balls, with two fours and a six and was the only batter with a decent contribution, until spinner Kuldeep Yadav (35* in 26 balls, with five fours and a six) helped the Capitals save face and score 153/9 in their 20 overs. Varun Chakravarthy's spin worked its magic in middle overs and he took 3/16 in four overs. Harshit Rana (2/28) and Vaibhav Arora also shined with the ball. Mitchell Starc, and Sunil Narine got a wicket each as well. In the run-chase of 154, Phil Salt (68 in 33 balls, with seven fours and five sixes) took the game single-handedly from DC. Though DC got some wickets, skipper Shreyas Iyer (33 in 23 balls, with three fours and a six) and Venkatesh Iyer (26 in 23 balls, with three fours and a six) helped KKR seal a win with seven wickets and 21 balls in hand. Axar Patel (2/25) was the top bowler for DC while Lizaad Williams also got one wicket. Varun took home the 'Player of the Match' award. KKR is in the second place with six wins and three losses, giving them 12 points. DC is in the sixth place with five wins and six losses, giving them 10 points. (ANI)
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