"Certainly a unique bowler," Anil Kumble heaps praise on this sensational Indian spinner
The legendary Indian spinner, Anil Kumble, had been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) both as a player and a coach, where he saw numerous players establish themselves. Anil, an expert on Jio Cinema this season, praises this talented spinner for sublime bowling.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner, Varun Chakravarthy, has impressed one and all with his excellent bowling expertise in the ongoing season of the IPL. He has tweaked a few things in his bowling, which he talked about earlier in the competition, and is now reaping the reward on the field.
Varun Chakravarthy has had a majestic start to his IPL career, as he snared a ton of wickets while still being economical in IPL 2020 and 2021. In these two seasons, Varun scalped 35 wickets at a strike rate of 20.57 and an economy rate of 6.71 with the ball.
The slow and sluggish conditions of UAE, where the majority of the games from these two seasons were played, also helped him flourish. On the back of two strong IPL seasons, Varun got the India cap and also went on to feature in the T20 World Cup 2021 held in UAE.
However, the slump in form last year meant he was sidelined from the Indian team as well. In IPL 2022, Varun could only pick 6 wickets and conceded runs at a mediocre economy rate of 8.51.
Anil Kumble heaps praise on Varun Chakravarthy
After a rough patch in IPL 2022, Varun Chakravarthy has made a strong comeback this season. In the 8 matches thus far, Varun has 13 wickets at a strike rate of 13.69 and an economy rate of 8.06.
Varun has impressed Anil Kumble, who seems to be quite happy seeing Varun’s performance. Anil labelled Varun as a “unique bowler”.
“There are a lot of players who have performed really well, and Varun is one of them. He was a part of the Indian team, and after that, last season, he didn't have a great IPL. In that context, he missed out. But I'm really happy for Varun to have shown what he's capable of,” stated Anil Kumble.
“Varun is certainly a unique bowler. He has the ability, and I'm happy he has worked things around. His action and the speed at which he bowls… if that speed drops, he's not that effective. This year, he got back the speed, and the trajectory, and the nip off the surface. The IPL is moving around every city, and he has adjusted to that. That certainly helps his style of bowling.”
Varun Chakravarthy’s progress has been immense this year. If he continues performing like this consistently, the Indian doors might again be opened for him.