Chennai, Jan 25 (PTI) India spinner Varun Chakravarthy on Friday equated the standards of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to IPL, and said cricketers should turn out more in the domestic tournament to improve their playing smarts in the T20 format.
Chakravarthy played a vital role in India’s seven-wicket triumph over England in the first T20I at Kolkata on Wednesday, picking up three wickets.
His words also resonated with the vision of India head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar on placing emphasis on domestic cricket.
Several star cricketers such as India skipper Rohit Sharma and mercurial wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant appeared for their respective domestic teams in the penultimate round of the Ranji Trophy.
“The level of domestic cricket is extremely high. I would say almost on par with IPL and the other international matches we play. So, I would suggest everyone to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali because we play on small grounds. It is very challenging,” Chakravarthy said during the pre-match press conference.
“I find it very tough playing SMAT. It has definitely helped me to get better, be more instinctive, be on my toes and think correctly at the right moment,” he added.
It was no mere lip service as the 33-year-old was the second highest wicket-taker in this seasons’ Vijay Hazare Trophy (18 wickets), besides grabbing nine wickets from seven matches in the SMAT.
Chakravarthy also emphasised on his meticulous preparation ahead of the match to stay ahead of batters in the T20s.
“The first thing begins with preparation, looking at the batsmen’s video and what are their early shots and what shots they are looking to play, and have they added a new shot in their book.
“Definitely, I do that research. Based on the pitch, certain shots work and certain shots don’t work. Based on that, I have a certain calculation in my mind and work around that,” he explained.
His approach has also brought in rich dividends as Chakravarthy has taken 20 wickets in nine T20Is since making his comeback to India colours during the series against Bangladesh in October, 2024.
He had to wait three years to make his return to the national side, but the rebuttal did not dishearten him.
“When I got dropped (in 2021), that gave me a lot of time to work on my mindset and my technique, re-change, and tweak many things about my bowling.” Now, he wants to exploit each and every opportunity that comes his way to further cement his place as one of the primary spinners in India’s T20 setup.
“My role is to just be aggressive and be brave and keep bowling at the stumps. That has been my role. There is no added responsibility.
“GG (Gambhir) and Surya (Kumar Yadav) made sure that there was no external stress on the players. They keep the external noise away,” he added.
This will be Chakravarthy’s first international match at Chepauk, his home venue, and he was understandably delighted.
“Back to Chennai and the base is very important for me. I see it as a very important day for me. Playing for my country in front of my parents and the home crowd. It is very special for me,” he signed off. PTI UNG 7/21/2024 AT AT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.