IND vs SL 2021: 3 takeaways from Varun Chakravarthy's India debut
![Varun Chakravarthy [R] received his maiden India cap](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/5d3e3-16272403412716-800.jpg?w=500)
After a series of mishaps that kept him on the sidelines for months, Varun Chakravarthy finally made his India debut during the first T20I against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, July 25.
Chakravarthy, who had his breakthrough season in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League for the Kolkata Knight Riders, has long been talked about as a potential matchwinner in international T20 cricket. However, failed fitness tests and undisclosed injuries prevented the mystery spinner from receiving his maiden cap in the previous series against Australia and England.
Varun Chakravarthy's first appearance for the country ended in joy on a collective level as India ran out winners by 38 runs. How did he fare from an individual standpoint? Here are three takeaways from the spinner's India debut.
#3 Varun Chakravarthy is not a finished product
Varun Chakravarthy scalped one wicket over the course of his four overs, conceding 28 runs in what was an extremely promising display overall. While he bowled a superb over in the powerplay and another excellent one at the death, there was enough proof that he isn't a finished product.
Chakravarthy was guilty of overpitching on a few occasions, with Charith Asalanka taking him for two sixes over the leg-side boundary. Had he been confronted with a better pair of batsmen (with all due respect to the Sri Lankans), the overs in which he conceded the sixes could've been taken for 12-14 runs quite easily.
But Ashen Bandara, Dhananjaya de Silva and Dasun Shanaka were visibly hesitant against the mystery spinner, leading to him being able to bowl a series of dot balls. The same issue came to the fore during the Indian Premier League, where he bowled expensive spells against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Chakravarthy is only one game into international cricket, so he obviously can't be expected to be a finished product. But he needs to be wary of the issues he will face during the T20 World Cup, where there will be no room for error. Assuming he is picked for the tournament, of course.
#2 Varun Chakravarthy's variations are subtle and vastly different in equal measure
During the first T20I between India and Sri Lanka, commentators on air mentioned that Varun Chakravarthy has seven different variations. While it isn't feasible to analyze each of them in detail, some points are easy to note and easier to appreciate.
Chakravarthy's pace variations were spectacular in the first T20I. He operated around the 90 kph mark, but wasn't hesitant to fire it in while delivering the carrom ball. The Tamil Nadu man got the quicker deliveries to skid off the surface and shortened his length extremely well when the Sri Lankan batsmen tried to give him the charge.
Chakravarthy's variations are subtle from a viewer's perspective, but they're extremely different to a batsman who hasn't faced him very often before. Even in the Indian Premier League, we saw him confound the best players in the world with his canny alterations in pace, line, length and direction of spin. But doing it in an Indian shirt on the international stage has a different charm altogether.
#1 India have immense trust in Varun Chakravarthy and plan on using him as a strike bowler
Varun Chakravarthy has played 22 T20 matches, one List A match and one FC match. He has featured throughout only one completed Indian Premier League season. Yet, in his first appearance for the country, India captain Shikhar Dhawan used him as a strike bowler.
The 29-year-old was brought on in the final over of the powerplay when Sri Lanka had lost only one wicket, before being taken out of the attack and brought in for a two-over spell in the middle overs. Chakravarthy then bowled his final quota in the 18th over, when Sri Lanka would inevitably have to go after him.
Dhawan's usage of Chakravarthy showed the immense faith the Indian team management has in him. The Kolkata Knight Riders utilized the spinner in key phases of the innings, setting the blueprint for how a wicket-taking bowler who will be played out by the opposition should be used. And India are following the very same plan.
Varun Chakravarthy may have ended up with middling figures on his India debut, but he should be in the thick of things for the T20 World Cup and future international games for the Men in Blue.