India's T20 World Cup Star Gets Support: "If He Was From Mumbai, He Would Have Been Celebrated"
Varun Chakaravarthy has been instrumental to India's strong performances with the ball in the T20 World Cup. With nine wickets in four matches, he is India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament
Varun Chakaravarthy has been instrumental to India's strong performances with the ball in the T20 World Cup. With nine wickets in four matches, he is India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament. More importantly, the wily spinner has not allowed any batter to dominate him. His economy rate of 5.16 runs per over attests to that fact. In fact, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar called him the "key" bowler for India heading into the Super 8 stage. Interestingly, the Indian team management has not given him his full quota of four overs in the last three matches - against the Netherlands he bowled three overs (3 wickets), against Pakistan three overs (2 wickets), and against Namibia just two overs (3 wickets). Only against the USA did he bowl all four overs (1 wicket).
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, said Varun Chakaravarthy is not celebrated enough.
"If he was from Mumbai, he would have been celebrated way more. The Mumbai media is a thing where if someone performs, they celebrate him wildly. Here, Varun just comes in and bowls quietly. No one hypes him and talks about him. People have not decoded him at all. For a spinner, he has a long run-up and bowls so beautifully," Srikkanth was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
"No one gives much credit to Varun Chakaravarthy. Bumrah is fantastic - you won't get a bowler like Bumrah. But Varun Chakravarthy doesn't get the appreciation he deserves. Even though Dube played an amazing innings (vs Namibia), why couldn't Varun be a contender for the Man of the Match? Nobody thought of it. Dube certainly deserved the award, but as a bowler, with 3/14 and all top-order wickets, Varun should have been in contention. They hardly give the award to bowlers."
Srikkanth went on to say that Varun was also a strong contender for the Player of the Tournament award.
"He is the frontrunner for the Player of the Tournament. Even if he gets hit, he concedes a maximum of 35 runs - and even then he picks up a wicket or two. But nobody gives him his due. He's a modern-day great in the T20 format and has to be celebrated that way, which no one does. Nobody is able to play against him or even defend him. He is what Bumrah used to be a couple of years back. Bumrah is not at his peak now, though in this match, he returned to it," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
India Cricket Team