India's spinner Varun Chakravarthy finally buried his unpleasant Dubai memories by delivering a stunning five-wicket haul, guiding India to a 44-run victory over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy Group A clash on Sunday. Chakravarthy admitted afterward that emotions from his disappointing past performances in Dubai had made him "nervous" initially.
The 33-year-old spinner previously suffered harsh criticism in Dubai after registering disappointing figures of 4 for 33 in India's infamous 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan during the 2021 T20 World Cup. Fast forward four years, Chakravarthy completely flipped the script, clinching match-winning figures of 5 for 42, propelling India to the top of their group.
"In 2021, I didn’t have a great tournament here. But it looks good right now," Chakravarthy confessed at the post-match press conference. "I was a little nervous ahead of my first spell against New Zealand. The emotions were playing in my mind due to what happened three years ago on this very ground."
Support from Senior Teammates Helped Calm Nerves
Replacing the rested Harshit Rana in the playing eleven, Chakravarthy revealed that encouragement from senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya significantly eased his nerves."They were coming and talking to me, telling me to calm down. That really helped," he acknowledged gratefully.
Adjusting Bowling Strategy for the ODI Format
Having made his ODI debut only last month against England, Chakravarthy explained the necessity of adapting his bowling strategies, especially transitioning from the fast-paced T20 format to the more patient demands of 50-over cricket."In T20s, my sequencing of balls and how I construct an over is totally different compared to the 50-over format," Chakravarthy noted. He credited his recent experience in India's domestic 50-over competition, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, for helping him understand the nuances of bowling longer spells.
"It really helped me understand when I can bowl my incoming delivery, outgoing delivery, straighter one, or the top-spin. It's completely different from what I do in T20 cricket," he added.
Pitch Conditions and Patience Key to Success
Discussing the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) pitch, Chakravarthy observed that while it provided considerable support for spin bowlers, it wasn't the rank turner many anticipated."The pitch was not a rank turner as people projected. But it was holding on a bit, deviating slightly, just enough to create doubt," he explained. Chakravarthy emphasized patience as an essential virtue on slower wickets where the ball doesn't sharply spin.
"It is a patience game. You just need to wait on such slow wickets. The ball doesn't turn fast, so patience is crucial," he added.
Chakravarthy generously dedicated his outstanding five-wicket haul to the collective efforts of India's bowling unit, highlighting how their disciplined bowling facilitated his success.
His redemption story now firmly etched in Dubai, Chakravarthy moves forward as a key player for India, carrying confidence boosted by conquering past challenges.
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