Axar says he is still the ‘X-factor’ in team India
The mystery seems to have unravelled 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 slide.
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 persist with him.
The steady dip in his form since the Super Eight phase of the tournament can’t be brushed aside and Chakravarthy would need to clear the doubts in his mind after being taken to the cleaners in the business end of the tournament.
The hammering he received at the hands of England swashbuckler Jacob Bethell on Thursday night in a narrow seven-run win for India could well prove to be the last straw.
India vice-captain Axar Patel has had conversations with Chakravarthy of late and stressed on the importance of sticking to plans even when things are not going one’s way.
“We have talked about it (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 targetting,” 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 semifinal but wasn’t able to find his lengths after being introduced in the power play. He ended with forgettable figures of 64 for one in four overs to be the most expensive of the five front-line bowlers on a belter of a track.
England had done their homework against Chakravarthy and he was not allowed into settle any sort of rhythm by the left-handed Bethell, who smashed him for three sixes in his opener.
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, denting the bowler’s confidence further.
Bethell ended up smashing Chakravarthy for 42 runs off just 13 balls on way 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, Chakaravarthy was not able 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 PTI after the game at Wankhede.
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, Chakaravarthy will have a massive challenge at hand on Sunday night.
