Indian captain Rohit Sharma hailed Varun Chakravarthy after a 44-run win against New Zealand in the last group stage match of the Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday.
India posted a competitive score of 249 runs on the board after Mitchell Santner decided to bowl first. The Men in Blue were left reeling at 30-3 but Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel scored 79 and 42 runs respectively. The duo added 98 runs for the fourth wicket and helped India get back on track.
On the other hand, Varun Chakravarthy registered impressive bowling figures of 5-42 in his quota of 10 overs while playing only his second ODI. The mystery spinner accounted for Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Michael Bracewell, and Mitchell Santner. Chakravarthy also claimed the second-best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in the Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma admitted that Chakravarthy’s fine performance will give them a selection headache for the semifinal clash against Australia.
Rohit said in the post-match presentation, “He has something different about him, so wanted to try and see what he can offer. We haven’t thought much about the next game, but good headache to have.”
Rohit added they posted a good score on the board after losing three early wickets. Hardik Pandya also added the finishing touches with a run-a-ball 45.
The Indian captain said, “Important to finish on a high. NZ are a good team who are playing some good cricket. Very important to get a good result, we played a perfect game. It was important at that stage (after being 30/3) to build a partnership, and I thought we got to a good total. We have the quality in our bowling to defend that total.”
Rohit highlighted it is crucial for them to win every game in a short tournament like the Champions Trophy and they would look to deliver their best against Australia.
He concluded, “Critical to possibly win every game and doing everything right in a short tournament. Important to correct mistakes quickly, and that’s where we know if your team is going up or going down. It will be a good game, Australia has a rich history of playing ICC tournaments well, but is is about us and what we want to do well on that particular day. It will be a great contest, looking forward to that. Hopefully, we can stitch one towards us.”
India will take on Australia in the first semifinal at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Tuesday.
