NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders scripted a pivotal win against Mumbai Indians in a rain-curtailed spectacle at the iconic Eden Gardens, securing a coveted spot in the playoffs of the Indian Premier League. The heroics of spinner
Varun Chakravarthy
stole the show, leaving a lasting imprint on KKR's journey to the playoffs.
Former India cricketer
Virender Sehwag
applauded the decision making from KKR, allowing Varun to bowl the maximum four overs [only one bowler was allowed to bowl four overs in an innings as the rain has curtailed the match to 16-overs-a-side] instead of more established international bowlers like
Sunil Narine
and
Mitchell Starc
.
"They have Sunil Narine and Mitchell Starc - who play international cricket and different T20 leagues. They didn't get the four overs. Toh yeh bhi toh unhone samajhdari ki na ki meri yeh bowler achcha kar rahi hai to inhi se chaar karaung. Udhar se Mumbai bhi yeh kar sakti thi na, yeh bowler achcha kar raha hai toh isko khelke nikaale, aur dusre ko maar lenge. Toh samajhdari jaruri thi aaj ke match mein, aur kuch nahi tha, sirf samajdari se khelte aur wicket nahi jaati toh nikaal le jaate [KKR took the right decision to use four overs from Varun, who was bowling extremely well. Mumbai could have also done the same and played Varun cautiously and attacked the others. Good decision making was required in the match. If MI had played with better planning and didn't lose wickets, they could have won]," Sehwag said in a post-match discussion on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag, though, lamented the timing of Varun's stellar displays, expressing regret that they came too late for consideration in the
T20 World Cup squad
.
"Not only in this match but in the previous matches also he was bowling brilliantly, but somehow he missed the flight to the T20 World Cup. If these performances came a bit earlier, selectors would have at least considered him for the squad. It came a bit late for him," Sehwag said.
Manoj Tiwary
, another former India cricketer, agreed with Sehwag and heaped praise on Varun.
"Brilliant bowling. It was a dream spell which every bowler wishes to bowl once in every 2-3 games," remarked Manoj Tiwary, encapsulating the essence of Chakravarthy's performance. His figures of 2-17 throttled Mumbai's chase.
"The speed he was bowling, his mystery ball which leg-spin was turning more and his googly was also coming good," noted Tiwary, underlining the difficulty batters faced.
Reflecting on the dynamics of KKR's bowling unit, Sehwag drew parallels between Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine's partnership, likening it to the famed 'KulCha' duo. "They are hunting in pairs like 'KulCha' used to do when bowling in tandem," he mused, emphasizing the pressure generated by their combined prowess.
With Chakravarthy's wizardry complemented by Venkatesh Iyer's explosive batting and Harshit Rana's crucial contributions, KKR stamped their authority as they became the first team to secure a spot in the IPL playoffs.
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