It’s not often that a bowler claims a five-wicket haul in a T20 match and still ends up on the losing side, but that was the unfortunate fate of Varun Chakravarthy in the third T20I against England in Rajkot on Tuesday. Despite recording his second-best figures in T20Is, his efforts went in vain as India’s batting crumbled in pursuit of 172, ultimately falling short by 26 runs.
While England secured victory after being put into bat, their vulnerability against spin was once again exposed, with Varun wreaking havoc in yet another masterful spell.
What looked like a decent pitch for batting in the first innings changed dramatically in the second, with the ball spinning and cutters from fast bowlers gripping the surface, making batting much tougher. India couldn’t chase down the target as the pitch slowed down considerably, and their expectation of dew didn’t materialise.
“The pitch got slower in the second innings,” said Varun in the post-match press conference. “We thought there might be dew which would settle in, but that didn’t happen, and that definitely played in their favour.”
Since Varun’s return to the international arena, no bowler has taken more wickets in T20Is. With 27 wickets in just 10 matches at a strike rate of 8.8, he vowed to keep getting better.
“The work doesn’t stop because consistency is a constant effort,” said Varun. “Even when I bowl a stock ball, I need to keep working on it, keep pushing it. I need to achieve 9/10 consistency. Right now, my focus is on maintaining line and length.”
Varun’s spin partner, Ravi Bishnoi, did manage to pick up a wicket but went for 46 runs in his four overs, including 19 runs in his final over. Despite a tough game, Varun backed Bishnoi to bounce back in the next match.
“The pitch wasn’t turning that much,” he said. “Bishnoi is a top-class bowler. No one can be judged on just one match. I’m sure he’ll make a strong comeback in the next game.”
The Indian batters certainly let Varun down, but he understood the dynamics of the T20 format and wasn’t overly concerned about the defeat.
“I can’t complain because that’s the nature of the game,” said Varun. “Even if I don’t take five wickets, we might still lose. So, I can’t complain. My job is to keep focusing on what I can do, how I can perform—that’s all that’s in my control.”