‘Drifting away too quickly from his game plan’ – Parthiv Patel dissects Varun Chakravarthy’s struggles

Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has said that Varun Chakaravarthy has been moving away from his bowling plans too quickly. The cricketer-turned-commentator explained that the Indian spinner now bowls wider lines when attacked straight, even though he enjoys significant success bowling at the stumps.

India will face against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where Chakaravarthy is to play a key role in their hopes of progressing to the final on Sunday in Ahmedabad. 

“I feel he has been drifting away too quickly from his own game plan. We have seen him taking wickets whenever he has bowled on the stump line. He has got a lot of wickets either lbw or bowled. He needs to stick to his game plan. Yes, batters are actually attacking him straight, and that’s where Varun Chakaravarthy is bowling slightly wider,” Parthiv said while speaking on Star Sports’ Follow the Blues. 

He also added that the spinner should trust his skills and try not to move away from his bowling plans.

“Maybe he is also bowling slightly shorter. In practice, we have seen that he was trying to find his length. Batters will try to take you on, but you have to make sure that you believe in yourself and your skills and not drift away from what you have been doing for the last couple of years,” he opined. 

Despite concerns regarding his bowling, Chakaravarthy currently has 12 wickets in seven innings at an average of 15.33 and an economy of 7.66. Although his numbers look promising, his returns in the Super-8 stage have been quite ordinary, with 1 for 47 in Ahmedabad against South Africa, followed by figures of 1 for 35 against Zimbabwe and 1 for 40 against West Indies.

He now comes up against England, one of his favourite opponents and one against whom he has 14 wickets in five innings at an impressive 9.85. India would want Chakravarthy to be at his best to help them reach the summit clash.