Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag applauded the decision making from KKR, allowing Varun to bowl the maximum four overs [only one bowler was allowed to bowl four overs in an innings as the rain has curtailed the match to 16-overs-a-side] instead of more established international bowlers like Sunil Narine and Mitchell Starc.
“They have Sunil Narine and Mitchell Starc – who play international cricket and different T20 leagues. They didn’t get the four overs. Mumbai is also capable of doing this, this bowler is doing well so he can take out the batsman, so samajhdari was required in today’s match, and he was not able to play only with samajhdari and he did not take wickets. let’s go [KKR took the right decision to use four overs from Varun, who was bowling extremely well. Mumbai could have also done the same and played Varun cautiously and attacked the others. Good decision making was required in the match. If MI had played with better planning and didn’t lose wickets, they could have won],” Sehwag said in a post-match discussion on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag, though, lamented the timing of Varun’s stellar displays, expressing regret that they came too late for consideration in the T20 World Cup squad.
“Not only in this match but in the previous matches also he was bowling brilliantly, but somehow he missed the flight to the T20 World Cup. If these performances came a bit earlier, selectors would have at least considered him for the squad. It came a bit late for him,” Sehwag said.
Manoj Tiwaryanother former India cricketer, agreed with Sehwag and heaped praise on Varun.
“Brilliant bowling. It was a dream spell which every bowler wishes to bowl once in every 2-3 games,” remarked Manoj Tiwary, encapsulating the essence of Chakravarthy’s performance. His figures of 2-17 throttled Mumbai’s chase.
“The speed he was bowling, his mystery ball which leg-spin was turning more and his googly was also coming good,” noted Tiwary, underlining the difficulty batters faced.
Reflecting on the dynamics of KKR’s bowling unit, Sehwag drew parallels between Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine’s partnership, likening it to the famed ‘KulCha’ duo. “They are hunting in pairs like ‘KulCha’ used to do when bowling in tandem,” he mused, emphasizing the pressure generated by their combined prowess.
With Chakravarthy’s wizardry complemented by Venkatesh Iyer’s explosive batting and Harshit Rana’s crucial contributions, KKR stamped their authority as they became the first team to secure a spot in the IPL playoffs.
