Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan said if he was part of the team’s think tank, then he would not let Varun Chakravarthy come to the ground before the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. Pathan has noted that Varun’s confidence is declining since the start of the Super 8 stage.
Varun had another tough day at the office, conceding 64 runs in his quota of four overs against England in the semifinal clash at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.
Earlier, the mystery spinner returned with figures of 1-40 in his quota of four overs against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday. Furthermore, Chakravarthy returned with expensive figures of 1-47 in his four overs against South Africa. He bagged 1-35 against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 clash.
Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “It will be very important how quickly we can bring Varun Chakaravarthy back into a better frame of mind. I feel that his confidence is going down. If I were in the Indian team camp, I would make sure that for the next two days not many people talk to him. I would not even let him come to the ground. If I am backing him and planning to play him, then I would keep him away from the ground and let him come directly on the day of the final. I would completely switch his mind off for two days and try to bring him towards positivity. But I would not make him practice.”
The former swing bowler believes practice is not going in the right direction for Varun Chakravarthy.
“Tell me, what difference will practice make in just one day? He has been practicing regularly anyway, but it feels like the practice is not going in the right direction. He is practicing short deliveries, which is not really his strength. Right now, it feels like his confidence is dropping. So just leave him alone for two days. Let him come on the day of the final and perform. That would be the hope. The team management will surely think about what to do with him, but I would say do not make him practice. That is my thinking.”
India will take on New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
