Varun Chakravarthy’s return to form during the current IPL season, according to Dwayne Bravo, bowling coach and mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders, has been largely attributed to the team’s unshakable faith in the mystery spinner.
With ten wickets at an economy rate of less than nine, Chakravarthy has been one of KKR’s more impressive players during an otherwise boring season.
Bravo claimed that despite the spinner’s poor performance earlier in the competition, the squad never questioned his abilities.
“Yeah, I think in sports, it’s very result orientated and sometimes people get very emotional. So a player like Varun, who is a world-class spinner, just came out from the World Cup which was also a very hectic tournament,” PTI quoted Bravo as saying on the eve of the IPL match against Delhi Capitals.
Although Chakravarthy needed a break, his skill set was never questioned.
“So a break at the right time is always important but no one ever questioned his ability because again, when you are so good it’s only a matter of time before you come back into form,” Bravo said.
Bravo emphasized the value of mental recuperation during a taxing IPL season, saying the KKR dressing room made sure Chakravarthy felt supported during the trying time.
“The group is very supportive of him and a mental break is also very needed especially in a tournament like IPL that has so many games, high pressure, the best versus the best.
“So yeah, no matter who you are as a player, you see that there are so many other quality players struggling this season and I think that’s the beauty of the sport. Players have to go through those moments, but eventually they will bounce back,” he said.
Bravo, who is recognized as one of the pioneers of death bowling variants in Twenty20 cricket, also discussed the art of delivering a good slower ball and stated that game awareness is necessary in addition to execution.
“Yeah, I’m very hands-on. Everyone wants me to teach them that slower ball. It’s one of my strengths when I used to play. But also what was my strength was my ability to read and understand the game. And for me, that is what I try to coach more than anything else,” Bravo explained.
“Bowling slower ball is one thing. But it’s knowing when to bowl a slower ball, who to bowl it to, the build-up to bowling a slower ball. So all of these things are factors. They don’t just bowl a slower ball. There’s a lot of thinking behind it and you have to practice it a lot. The brain is the most important thing,” he added.
