INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE | TILAK VARMA REGISTERED SLOWEST IPL STRIKE RATE (62.50) IN 14 YEARS
MATCH TODAY – ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU VS SUNRISERS HYDERABAD AT 7:30 PM
Kolkata, May 21: Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Shane Watson has hailed ace India mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy for continuing to play in the IPL through “pain” after suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot.
Watson said Chakravarthy “desperately” wants to contribute in KKR’s fight to stay alive in the IPL playoff race.Chakravarthy sustained the injury while fielding during KKR’s away match against Delhi Capitals on May 8. He missed their next game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 13, with head coach Abhishek Nayar later confirming the fracture.But with KKR needing to win remaining matches after the RCB loss, Chakravarthy returned for the successive games against Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians despite appearing not fully fit.“Well, I’m not exactly sure where he is on his rehab journey at the moment. All I do know is he’s obviously playing through a bit of pain at the moment, which just shows how brave he is, how much he wants to be here to contribute for KKR, and he’s still bowling beautifully,” Watson said after KKR’s four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians here on Wednesday.The India T20 spin spearhead had endured a poor run since the T20 World Cup triumph in March. He went wicketless and leaked 105 runs in his first three IPL matches — a slump that badly hurt KKR’s campaign early on.
However, Chakravarthy rediscovered his rhythm in the business end of the tournament, taking 10 wickets in four matches to fuel KKR’s late resurgence.“It’s been brilliant to see the turnaround from the first few games of the season to the impact he’s been able to consistently have every single game,” Watson said.“We are so lucky to have someone with Varun’s skill and also his desperation to be here and want to play for KKR.” After enduring a six-match winless streak, KKR have now won six of their last seven matches to keep their slender playoff hopes alive. (PTI)
