By Admin 
Varun Chakaravarthy’s first eight deliveries against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday were taken for 21 runs. The costly start may have unnerved some bowlers, but the leg-spinner from Tamil Nadu with a bag of variations up his sleeve seems to take most things in his stride.
The 34-year-old, in his 22nd T20I, responded by cleaning up Shamim Hossain, and conceded just eight more runs off his next 16 balls to finish with tidy figures of 4-0-29-2.
Playing his part
He duly played his part, alongside Kuldeep Yadav (4-0-18-3) and Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-18-2), in a 41-run victory as India sealed its berth in Sunday’s Asia Cup final. Even when his first over, within the PowerPlay, went for 13 runs, Varun said he never stopped hunting for wickets.
“In the PowerPlay, the only aim is to look for wickets,” Varun said during the post-match media interaction.
Aggressive tactics
“It is about looking for that one ball that pitches on the right spot and turns a little bit. That is my role. Even if I go for a few runs, my aim is to keep on attacking and try to look for wickets.” As per Varun, the surfaces in Dubai offer more purchase for the spinners once the ball gets older. “Initially the ball was skidding on more. If you are bowling in the PowerPlay or right after the PowerPlay, there is not much help. But once the field spreads and the game progresses, it is getting better,” he assessed.
Working on other facets
Having evolved into a reliable white-ball operator for India in recent months, Varun is also working on other facets of his game.
“After the IPL ended, I played in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. After the TNPL, I got a one-week break where I went and practised a lot,” he said.
“I have been working on my batting and fielding. That has been my focus,” added Varun.