New Delhi, Feb 13 (.) India spinner Varun Chakravarthy expressed confidence in the team’s spin strength and his own rhythm after playing a decisive role in India’s 93-run win over Namibia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Match Centre Live’, Chakravarthy said India’s spin unit gives them a clear advantage.
“We have a strong spin attack, and I feel we have the edge over them. They are playing in these conditions back-to-back, so they might have an advantage in terms of familiarity. But as a group, we have had the better of them, and we are well prepared,” he said.
“Whenever you are playing any opponent in a World Cup, you need to keep your confidence high. You have to believe that you are the best in the world; that’s when you deliver in the biggest moments,” he added.
The spinner, who returned impressive figures of 3 for 7 in two overs, stressed the importance of hitting the right areas from the very first delivery.
“At the international level, I don’t have the space to get my rhythm back. I need to be in rhythm from the very first ball. I’ve been working on that for a long time because I don’t want my first ball to be an easy one. From ball one, I have to be on target,” Chakravarthy said.
“I’ve also worked on making my variations quicker so that batters have less time to react. I’m working on my overspin. When the overspin comes out correctly, there is zip off the wicket and the ball skids off the pitch,” he explained.
Earlier, India posted 209 for nine, powered by a blistering 24-ball 61 from Ishan Kishan and a 28-ball 52 by Hardik Pandya, despite Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus claiming four wickets.
Namibia made a positive start, reaching 57 for one in the Powerplay, but India’s bowlers soon tightened the screws. Chakravarthy, Axar Patel (2/20), and Hardik (2/21) combined effectively to trigger a collapse as Namibia were bowled out for 116 in 18.2 overs.
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