Mumbai, March 6 The mystery seems to have been solved, and though his teammates still consider Varun Chakravarthy the "X-factor," the leg-spinner knows that he is racing against time to arrest what has been a stunning decline.
The world's top-ranked bowler would be a weak link for India going into the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand on Sunday if the team management chooses to continue using him.
The steady decline in his form since the Super Eight phase of the tournament cannot be ignored, and Chakravarthy needs to clear his doubts after being thoroughly dominated in the business end of the tournament.
The hammering he received at the hands of England's swashbuckling batsman Jacob Bethell on Thursday night in a narrow seven-run win for India could well prove to be the final blow.
India vice-captain Axar Patel has recently spoken with Chakravarthy and emphasized the importance of sticking to plans even when things are not going his way.
"We have talked about (Chakravarthy's ongoing issues), we have played a lot of knockout games at this moment, so it is very important to have a mindset. Yes, there is skill and all, but what we talk to them is, when you go for runs, don't change your plan even if the batter is targeting," Axar said on Thursday.
"You have a plan to put it in the stumps first, and then suddenly you change the line. Yes, there could be mistakes in the pressure situations. We keep telling him, yes, you are the X Factor, trust yourself, and when it comes to the ball, it is all about confidence."
The mystery spinner put in the hard yards at the nets ahead of the semi-final, but was unable to find his length after being introduced in the powerplay. He ended with forgettable figures of 64 for one in four overs, making him the most expensive of the five frontline bowlers on a belter of a track.
England had done their homework against Chakravarthy, and the left-handed Bethell prevented him from settling into any sort of rhythm, smashing him for three sixes in his opening over.
Guilty of bowling too short or too full over the past fortnight, Chakravarthy was pulled over long-on for a maximum on his very first ball.
The 34-year-old expectedly tried to bowl fuller the next ball, which was dispatched down the ground by the highly-rated English batter.
The third hit was the most impressive, a reverse hit over backward point, further denting the bowler's confidence.
Bethell ended up smashing Chakravarthy for 42 runs off just 13 balls, contributing to a special hundred that could not take England all the way in a high-scoring affair.
His first over went for 23 runs, and every time he was brought back into the attack, Chakravarthy was unable to keep the batters in check.
"If you look at it, even after being hit for a few sixes, he got the wicket of Jos Buttler. He is the number one T20 bowler, he knows what he is doing. It is a matter of mindset. We have one more match, maybe he will give a match-winning performance in the final," asserted Axar.
India off-spin great Harbhajan Singh feels Chakravarthy is bowling a lot quicker than he should.
"He is a match-winner, but any bowler would be under pressure after being attacked from the get go. Besides the higher speeds, he is not able to find the right length. It is either too short or too full.
"Targetting the stumps is his strength, but at times, he has deviated from that stock strategy and gone wide. He is under pressure. All he can do is go back to the nets and put in the effort," Harbhajan told
The biggest challenge for a bowler in the unforgiving T20 format is to not alter his plans despite being put under extreme pressure. Bethell forced Chakravarthy off his plans.
Considering the devastating nature of the New Zealand openers, Chakravarthy will have a massive challenge at hand on Sunday night.
