Varun will be crucial for KKR in IPL: du Plessis
An underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign notwithstanding, Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy would be crucial for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL beginning on March 28, former South African captain Faf du Plessis has said.
Du Plessis, who played for Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru before retiring from the tournament, told ‘JioHotStar’ that the Eden Gardens pitch should be tailor-made for Sunil Narine and Chakaravarthy.
“If I was part of the KKR team management, I would ask the groundsman at Eden Gardens to make the wicket spin-friendly. KKR are blessed to have two absolute cannons in Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine,” he said.
“They are two of the best T20 spinners in the game right now. Both Varun and Narine, have to be in the game. If they play on surfaces where they are not in contention, then you are losing those two cannons and your superpower.
“Yes, they can bowl well on any wicket and trouble batters. But for KKR to be successful this IPL, Varun and Narine need to fire. The pitch should be prepared keeping those two players in mind,” he added.
Chakravarthy wasn’t particularly effective during India’s title-winning campaign at the T20 World Cup and managed 14 wickets at an ordinary economy rate of more than 9.
KKR finished third from bottom on the points table last season after winning just five of their 14 games. The Ajinkya Rahane-led team will open their campaign against the Mumbai Indians on March 29 in an away fixture.
Du Plessis said another player who could prove crucial for the side is Cameron Green, even though he warned that the Australian all-rounder would be under tremendous price tag pressure given his Rs 25.2 crore contract.
“Cameron Green is a highly talented guy who has a lot of potential in him to succeed. He is the multi-skilled marquee buy for KKR and the replacement for Andre Russell.
“Green is six-foot tall, a massive guy, he bowls well, has a good bouncer and yorker, can hit the ball out of the stadium easily and is a proper batter. In short, he is a complete package. He balances KKR’s team very well,” he said.
“But form has not been on his side recently. With a price tag of Rs 25.2 crore, there is big price tag pressure he will carry. There is a lot of weight on his shoulders,” he observed.
Former India player Lakshmipathy Balaji urged Rahane to bat at the top.
“I always feel that KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane should bat in the top order. He shouldn’t bat at anything less than number three. He has done phenomenally well with CSK at number three and scored a lot of runs.
“So, he batting one down would be good for both, him and KKR. Cameron Green can come out to bat at number four. That will give him time to settle down and then start going after the bowlers. So, a top four of Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Ajinkya Rahane and Cameron Green is going to be the go-to one,” he suggested.
