India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has compared skipper Virat Kohli to Dubai’s magnificent skyscraper Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. In a video posted by International Cricket Council (ICC), Chakravarthy was asked to compared various famous buildings and landmarks of Dubai to his teammates.
“Burj Khalifa… That’s the tallest building in the world. (Comparison-wise) it has to be Virat Kohli. He’s the biggest one, the captain of the side. Also because of the number of runs he has scored," said the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner.
Interestingly, the 30-year-old realised his dream of playing cricket after he completed his bachelor’s degree in architecture. However, the Karnataka-born cricketer quit his job to pursue the sport.
In the video, Chakravarthy compared other teammates to buildings as well. The unorthodox spinner compared Burj al Arab to former skipper and current team mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni as it is designed like a ship with sails.
As soon as the spinner saw a blingy Atlantis hotel building, he compared it to India’s stylish on-the-field and off-the-field all-rounder Hardik Pandya. When shown the ‘Dubai frame’, he immediately compared it to India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. “The middle stump is missing, the base is intact. So, it has to be Jasprit Bumrah," he said.
As soon as Chakravarthy saw a twisty shape of the Canyan tower, he compared it to Rishabh Pant. The wicketkeeper is often seen playing shots that one won’t find in the book of proper cricketing shots. “I’ll go with Rishabh for the Cayan tower because he twists himself when he plays the slog sweep… that’s how he looks playing that shot."
He compared Mohammed Shami and Suryakumar Yadav to other buildings in the video as well. In the end, he was asked to compare an under construction building. Chakravarthy went on to compare the building to himself as he is still in early stages of his career.
Chakravarthy's performance
Playing in his debut T20 World Cup, Chakravarthy has remained wicketless in the first two games. He gave away 33 runs against Pakistan followed by an economical spell against New Zealand where he conceded 23 runs. He missed out on the match against Afghanistan because of strain in his left calf.