On a Dharamsala pitch assisting the seam bowlers, India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy shone through again in the third T20I against South Africa on Sunday (December 14).
Varun returned with the figures of 2 for 11 in four overs, helping the hosts bundle out the Proteas for a below-par 117 in 20 overs.
During his spell, Chakaravarthy became the second quickest (in terms of matches) Indian bowler after Kuldeep Yadav to claim 50 T20I wickets. He achieved the feat in 32 T20Is, two games more than Kuldeep.
After India completed a thumping seven-wicket victory, Varun Chakaravarthy reflected on his spell while also admitting that he wasn’t aware of the '50 T20I wickets' milestone.
“I actually wasn’t aware of the milestone, so thank you for telling me. It was doing a bit early on when the fast bowlers were bowling, there was some seam movement. But overall, the conditions were very tough,” Chakaravarthy said in a post-match conversation.
For Varun, it was quite a challenge to play in the cold conditions of HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
“I’ve never played at a ground this cold, so I did find it quite challenging. (Laughs) No, not at all. This (chilly weather) can never happen in Chennai. We had a proper bowling meeting and some very honest conversations. We identified where we went wrong and focused on the right approach. Credit has to go to the management and the bowlers,” the spinner stated.
Sharing insights on his strategy against the Proteas batters in third T20I, Varun remarked: “It was a two-way discussion, and it worked really well. I was just trying to stick to my strengths. Today, the ball was skidding more than turning, so my focus was on skidding the ball on to the batter rather than trying to force too much turn.”
“It feels really good (second fastest to 50 T20I wickets). As long as I’m playing for India and contributing with wickets, I’ll always feel good,” he concluded.
Chasing the target, the Men in Blue got over the line in just 15.5 overs, with Abhishek Sharma (35 off 18) emerging as the top scorer.
Having gained a 2-1 lead, India will look to clinch the series in the penultimate T20I against South Africa in Lucknow on Wednesday (December 17).
