Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has said that Varun Chakravarthy shows a bit of panic when he is hit for runs by batters in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
He observed that batters are now more prepared to face Chakravathy’s mystery spin, setting more elaborate plans against him.
“Many batters are now coming prepared, knowing exactly how to plan against him (Varun). That is where a slight problem can arise. I have noticed that when he gets hit for runs, he sometimes shows a bit of panic. You can see it in the way he reacts. Instead of sticking to his natural wicket-to-wicket length, he starts bowling at the pads.” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
He also added how he believes Varun is a lot more reliant on his googlies across the T20 World Cup.
“Throughout this World Cup, I feel he has bowled very little leg-spin. He can work on his leg-spin because right now batsmen are waiting for his googly. Since the ball comes into the stumps, they treat it like an off-spinner and expect it to turn inward. That is why many of them are able to hit him towards long-on and straight with a full face of the bat,” Kaif further added.
Kaif also believes that the spinner should focus more on his traditional leg-spinners, as it would add to his unpredictability and make it difficult for batters to pick his deliveries.
“I think Varun needs to focus more on his leg-spin as well. He can bowl outside the off-stump line with his leg-spin and then bring in the googly as a variation. If he keeps bowling only googlies, batsmen may start reading him better. Instead of targeting the pads, he can attack outside off-stump with leg-spin and then surprise them with a googly aimed at the stumps. That could be a smarter plan for Varun,” he said in addition.
Despite the troubles, his returns of 12 wickets at an average of 15.33 and economy of 7.66 show in the World Cup that he is still one of India’s most reliable weapons. Being the home team’s highest wicket taker in the tournament, he holds a key role in India’s upcoming semifinal clash against England.
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