Varun Chakraborty (ICC photo) KOLKATA: The only thing that strikes you about Varun Chakravarthy is his complete absence of facial expressions. You wouldn’t know if he took a wicket or went for a six just by looking at him. Rather, his teammates seem more excited about his accomplishments than he is. But that does not detract from him being an integral part of the Indian T20 team.Varun is now back where he thrived in the past. The 34-year-old googly bowler, who is an important part of the Kolkata Knight Riders side in the IPL, will consider Eden Gardens his home. Of his 100 IPL wickets, 99 are for KKR, with the iconic venue contributing to many of them. It is not lost on the Indian team management and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate agrees that Varun could be one of their powerful weapons here.
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“Varun has obviously had a lot of success here,” the Doeschate said on Saturday. “I think it’s pretty standard how we’ve used Varun so far. He throws one over in the power play. He’s also our attacking option.”But is Varun still as effective as in his early days? In the last two matches against South Africa and Zimbabwe, he conceded 82 runs for his two wickets. Do batsmen approach it in a different way? That Doeschate is inclined to agree.“We’re also aware that teams are starting to play him a little bit differently now. So we have some other strategies to put him in different aspects of the game. But generally speaking, he’s someone we look to for goals and he’s really good at that and we expect more of the same on Sunday.”West Indies will not take Varun lightly despite his relatively indifferent form. “Last time I checked, I think he was No. 1 in T20 cricket,” West Indies coach Darren Sammy said. “We respect every opposition. We have our plans against every pitcher and vice versa, our pitchers versus their batters. We have to play a complete game.”Back in the familiar surroundings of the Gardens of Eden, this occasion could be the perfect setting for Varun to silence the doubters. And an early wicket in his power-play could give India the advantage.Team firmly behind RinkaTen Doeschate said the team stands firmly behind batsman Rinku Singh, who lost his father to cancer on Friday. “It is obviously a very sad time and he will continue to receive love and support from everyone,” he said.
