Varun Chakravarthy, the spinner for Kolkata Knight Riders, has been receiving high praise from former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh for his impressive performance in the IPL 2023. Singh recently revealed that when he played alongside Chakravarthy, the spinner was battling a knee injury and was forced to play while taking injections and applying ice packs.
Harbhajan’s advice to Varun Chakaravarthy
Singh went on to say that Chakravarthy’s knee injury had also affected his performance when he was selected for the Indian team. However, Singh spoke with Chakravarthy and advised him to lose weight to reduce the pressure on his knee. Fortunately, Chakravarthy heeded Singh’s advice, shed some pounds, and now has an absolutely fine knee.
Chakravarthy’s improved fitness has translated into better fielding and bowling on the field. Singh expressed his confidence that Chakravarthy is more than capable of making a return to the Indian team. Chakravarthy has been one of the standout performers for Kolkata Knight Riders this season picking up 17 wickets in 11 games, and his story of perseverance and determination is sure to inspire many young cricketers.
“When I played with him (for KKR), he had a lot of pain in his knee. He was playing while taking injections and applying ice packs but he still bowled very well. His knee was totally finished when he was selected for the Indian team.”, Harbhajan Singh said while analyzing Varun Chakaravarthy’s performance after KKR’s win against PBKS.
He further added, “When I had spoken to him, it was only that he had to reduce his weight. There was a lot of pressure on his knee because of his weight. Now the knee is fine, he has reduced his weight, and is fielding and bowling better. So this guy has once again joined the line to come into the Indian team.”
Chakaravarthy’s worked on his pace
Harbhajan Singh highlighted Chakravarthy’s improved pace, which is not allowing the batters to play off the back foot, and his increased confidence. Harbhajan also commended Chakravarthy’s delivery that flummoxed Liam Livingstone, causing him to get leg-before-wicket, and his fantastic catch to dismiss Jitesh Sharma. The spinner finished his three-wicket haul by castling Rishi Dhawan.
“Liam Livingstone had no idea. The bat was somewhere and the eyes were somewhere else, he was beaten all ends up. Then there was a fantastic catch (Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s catch to dismiss Jitesh Sharma). It is so good to see him making a comeback because a lot of people had written him off.”, Harbhajan concluded.
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