“Nitish called me to bowl that last over”

Shardul Thakur, rider for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team, talks about skipper Nitish Rana’s confusion over who will be facing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 4.

Defending only nine runs of the final match, Rana eventually decided to entrust Varun Chakaravarthy to do the job. The 31-year-old outfielder pitched the 16th and 18th innings, and kept a lid on the scoring by giving up only six runs.

Thakur also had a good day with the ball, with figures of 2/23 in his three overs, causing captain Rana a dilemma. However, KKR’s leadoff leadoff with Chakaravaarthi, who only had two runs and a bye, leading KKR to a five-run win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Speaking to IPL social media in a conversation with Chakaravarthy, Thakur said:

“Eventually there was confusion, nitish invited me to bowl which continued, then all of a sudden he felt ‘should I ramble with Varun’ he actually asked me and I said ok if that’s what your instinct says then go for it. So he handed you the ball and it was one of the Great games we’ve seen in this year’s tournament, and it wasn’t easy defending nine runs, and I’m sure your heart was pumping really hard.”

Shakarvarthy responded by saying:

“My heart rate was definitely around 200, so basically the plan was to challenge them to beat them on the bigger end and God willing it worked.”

KKR batted first and made a competitive total of 171-9 in 20 matches on the back of impressive 40s captained by Nitish Rana and in-form Rinku Singh. In reply, SRH were teetering in the chase when the South African duo of Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen were at the crease with only 48 runs required from six overs.

However, dismissing the pair in quick succession pumped the brakes into the scoring, eventually folding SRH off target.

With the win, KKR kept its playoff hopes alive with four wins and six losses, advancing SRH to eighth place in the points table.

“The ball was slipping a lot and my best bet was the longer side” – KKR’s Varun Chakaravarthy on bowling after the win against SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Varun Chakaravarthy talks about his recent bowling over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and his plans considering the wet ball after KKR won by five runs in Hyderabad on May 4.

After an expensive start to his spell, in which he conceded 12 runs in his first over, Farron gave up only eight runs of the next three overs, including only two from the end.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Chakaravarthy talked about his plans for the finale and his minor changes from last year. He said:

“The ball was slipping a lot and my best bet was the longer side and that was my only hope. I got the first over for 12 runs, Markram hit me for four and that’s how the match went. Last year I was bowling about 85km an hour, I was trying things Many and I realized I needed to work on my revolutions and I worked on that.”

After a disappointing season last year, in which he took just six wickets in 11 matches, Chakaravarthy is back to his best this year, taking 14 wickets in 10 matches.

KKR will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in another decisive encounter at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, May 8th.