Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler Kartik Tyagi has come out in defence of his teammate and T20 World Cup winner Varun Chakravarthy, backing him to come out stronger from his rough patch ahead of KKR’s clash against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Chakravarthy has endured a difficult start to the new Indian Premier League season, going wicketless while conceding over 11 runs per over in the three matches he has played so far. Tyagi, who himself has made a comeback after an injury-laden start to his career, believes that overcoming such phases is what ultimately shapes a cricketer.
“Every cricketer goes through a phase where performances dip. But such phases help you grow and become a better bowler,” Tyagi told reporters ahead of the GT clash. “Maybe this is that phase for Varun bhaiya, and he’ll come out of it stronger.”
Chakravarthy’s struggles date back to India’s T20 World Cup campaign. The top-ranked T20 bowler began the tournament strongly, picking up nine wickets in the first four matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.17. However, his form dipped thereafter, and he finished the tournament with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 9.25.
Up against a resurgent Gujarat Titans side, KKR will hope their premier spinner can arrest his slump and help turn around both his and the team’s fortunes. The franchise is enduring one of its worst starts to an IPL season, having lost four of its first matches. The only point they have managed so far came from a washout against Punjab Kings.
“I think it’s a mix of things. A bit of luck hasn’t gone our way in some matches. In the last game, things worked out for us. We need to show better intent going forward. Not winning hurts the entire team, but we’re trying to do the best we can from here,” Tyagi added.
Following their encounter against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, KKR will return home to face an in-form Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, April 19.
