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Star Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy shared the comments of head coach Gautam Gambhir that helped him understand his role in the team upon his return. Notably, in the most recent T20I series against Bangladesh, Chakravarthy returned to the team after nearly three years. By taking five wickets in the series and finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker, the 33-year-old made an immediate impression.
Gambhir gives clarity to Varun
Chakravarthy has maintained his form in the current T20I series against South Africa, taking eight wickets in two games, including a fifer in the second match. He recently talked candidly about how Gambhir helped him understand his job during the Bangladesh series by pushing him to focus on getting wickets rather than runs.
"Yes, we played the Bangladesh tour and he was coaching the team. And definitely we spoke a lot and he gave me a lot of role clarity. He told me, even if you go for 30-40 runs, it doesn't matter. All you have to look is to pick wickets. So that's your role in the team. And yeah, the clarity which they gave definitely helped me," said Chakravarthy after the game.
Varun on 'tough' three years
The KKR player talked candidly about the 'tough' period he went through after being cut from the team and how playing cricket improved his understanding of the game.
"Definitely, the last three years were a little tough. The only thing I could do was play lots of cricket. And I started playing a lot of the domestic league (TNPL) in India. And that definitely helped me understand my game better. And that's what helped me," he added.
After a strong performance in the IPL in the United Arab Emirates, Chakravarthy made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka and was selected for the 2021 T20 World Cup. But he fell short of his expectations in the mega tournament and was wicketless in three games.
During the series against Bangladesh this year, he made his long-awaited return to the team, taking 3/31 in four overs in the opening T20I and went on to take 2/19 in four overs in the second T20I. In the first T20 match against South Africa, he took three wickets. The wrist spinner has taken 13 wickets at an average of 8.84 and an economy of 5.75 in five games since making a comeback. On Wednesday, November 13 at SuperSport Park in Centurion, the wrist-spinner will be looking to maintain his form in the third T20I match against South Africa.
