Kolkata, April 19 (IANS) Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who returned to form with a decisive Player of the Match performance in Kolkata Knight Riders’ win over Rajasthan Royals, reflected on the challenging period leading up to the game. He stated that bowlers are bound to leak runs if the wicket isn’t in their favour and expressed that there was nothing to worry about his form or the ‘outside noise.’
Having endured scrutiny since an underwhelming outing in an ICC tournament fixture against South Africa, Varun placed his recent struggles in perspective, insisting that fluctuating returns are part and parcel of a bowler’s journey in modern-day cricket.
“Look, just because I have taken three wickets today, I don’t want to make a sweeping statement. That’s the nature of the game. Next match, if the wicket has nothing in it, that’s going to happen to every spinner. As you can see, initially, every spinner was travelling. So, that’s how it is. Once the pitches start slowing down, that’s how we start coming into the game and we start being more effective. So, it’s the nature of the game and we can’t change it. So, I don’t think much about that, Varun told the media at the press conference after the game.
Varun acknowledged that KKR’s inconsistent results and external criticism may have influenced the team’s approach at times, but stressed that the collective effort eventually paid off.
“Yes, there could be many things because we have not been winning and there is much outside noise which comes and which affects the players. But finally, we turned out in the better side today. We won the match. Yes, there are many areas for improvement, for sure. Because we started this tournament with many, as in many injuries and it actually crippled us before even the tournament started. So, I would like to give credit to the coaches, the head coach, Abhishek Nayar. If you are taking up a team in such conditions, you have a lot of work to do and you need a lot of courage for that. So, he has taken up the team from a very tough situation. So, it is going to take some time for build up. And I think, slowly, slowly, step by step, baby step, one win here, one win there, we will be back on track,” he said.
Highlighting the emotional weight of the victory, Varun revealed the impact it had inside the dressing room, saying, “Very, very significant. I can say to you that I could see many tears today, which we did not see in the winning year, the year that we won the IPL in 2024 or so. here, inside the dressing room. I could see many tears.”
On the tactical front, the mystery spinner reiterated his reliance on attacking lines whenever conditions offered assistance.
“Once there is something in the pitch, I go back to my strength. My strength is to keep attacking the stumps. But if there is nothing in the pitch, that is when bowlers start searching, they start getting confused, they are clueless, which happens to everyone. It has happened to the best of the best. So, no one can be judged with just one match of good performance and bad performance,” he said.
Despite the modest first-innings total, Varun believed both teams misread the surface slightly.
“Generally, it does. Generally, it starts getting a bit slower. I am not telling it slows down so much. But today, I felt it was a 190 wicket. Both teams struggled with batting. As in, both teams were going too explosive. But where you could have just put your head down and played, it could have been done. So, you could have easily scored 190. So, that is what I thought. But again, this win is very important for us. In the next half of the IPL, we are going to build upon the positives that we got in this match,” the mystery spinner mentioned.
He also shed light on the tactical discussions around his bowling role and praised the team environment for shielding players from criticism.
“Yes, there was a lot of discussion on when I can start bowling in the powerplay or after the powerplay and all those things. But once I get back in form, I feel more confident. That was the whole plan behind it and Sunny has been doing well in the powerplay. But still, I think we will have the plans fluid. I might bowl in the powerplay or Sunny will bowl in the powerplay. But exactly, the main credit has to go to the coaching staff because they didn’t let the outside noise affect us. Because there were too many people floating around with totally baseless judgments. At such times, you need a strong core that supports you and we have a very strong core that supports us,” he noted.
Varun also revealed that he has been managing multiple injuries during the tournament as he said, “Yes, unfortunately, before the first match itself, I fractured one of my fingers. In another match, I fractured another finger. Left hand? Yes, two fractures. So, I couldn’t use my left hand itself. Fielding was totally out of the question. I am still trying to manage but it is a little painful.”
Addressing speculation around changes in his bowling, he clarified that his core approach remains intact.
“I didn’t say anything about speed. Speed is the same. When I was taking wickets, I didn’t change anything in terms of speed. I didn’t change anything in terms of length either. I am just changing the line. Line of attack. So, more cramping lines. Not in the fourth stump line, more cramping lines. Offside wide, leg side wide. I am working on all the lines right now. I am not just sticking on to stumps. I have not changed anything,” he mentioned.
Finally, he attributed earlier struggles largely to unhelpful conditions rather than technical flaws.
“There was no mistake. The pitch was like this. Because I am very tough on myself. If I don’t do well, I go and pinpoint what is not there. Because the pitches were such that there was nothing for the spinners. If you see other spinners also, it was the same condition for everyone. So, it’s nice that there is something for the spinners now. And hopefully, there is more for the spinners,” Varun stated.
When asked if home advantage was a key to the win and if the team would want similar pitches for the remaining games at Eden, Varun maintained that adaptability remains key.
“About the wicket, there has been a lot of to and fro about the wicket. I don’t know who is deciding on what wicket is going to come. But we are ready for whatever wicket comes. We are just open to play on any wicket,’ he concluded.
–IANS
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