Dubai [UAE], March 2 (ANI): Following India’s 44-run win over New Zealand in their final league stage match of the ICC Champions Trophy, former Indian pacer S Sreesanth hailed spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who took a match-winning five-wicket haul, saying that he is “meant for greatness”.
After three wicketless and nightmarish fixtures during T20 World Cup 2021, Varun’s Dubai story met its redemption arc as he took a five-wicket haul in only his second ODI to guide India to a fighting win over New Zealand and help them end the league stage with three wins in three games. He won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his match-winning performance which ripped through Kiwis’ middle order.
Speaking to ANI, Sreesanth said about Varun, “The way Varun bowled, he proved that he is not just a T20 bowler, but he is meant for greatness. It is such an inspirational story and really nice to see that.”
He also said that star India batter Virat Kohli’s dismissal to Matt Henry in his 300th ODI for a low score of 11, thanks to a fantastic diving catch by Glenn Phillips, was one of the “best catches” one could have witnessed in any format of the game.
Sreesanth also hailed Chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who picked up two wickets, including the final scalp of Will O’Rourke for his fine finish with the ball.
“India fought back really well with the ball. They had so much enthusiasm and knew they were going to win. Just two more games and we will be the champions. Hats off to Rohit (Sharma) captaincy,” he added.
On Varun’s fifer possibly making pacer Harshit Rana sit out for the semifinals against Australia, the former pacer said that it is a nice problem for Indian cricket to have.
“So many players are waiting in the wings. So many players were watching that India-Pakistan game, such as Abhishek Sharma. It is nice to have so many match-winners, so many players who can win us the biggest games out of nowhere,” he signed off.
Coming to the match, NZ won the toss and elected to bowl first. Indian top-order failed and Men in Blue were reduced to 30/3. A 98-run stand between Iyer (79) and Axar Patel (42 in 61 balls, with five fours and a six) brought India back into the game. However, the dismissal of Iyer and KL Rahul (23 in 29 balls, with a four) reduced India to 182/6. A 41-run stand between Ravindra Jadeja (16 in 20 balls, with a four) and Hardik Pandya (45 in 45 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) helped India reach 249/9 in their 50 overs.
Matt Henry’s pace worked well for the Kiwis as he picked 5/42 in his eight overs.
During the run-chase of 250 runs, Kiwis kept losing wickets regularly. Kane Williamson (81 in 120 balls, with seven fours) kept the team in the fight, but spinner Varun Chakravarthy (5/42) unleashed a spin web that bamboozled the Kiwis’ middle order. Kuldeep Yadav also took 2/56 in 9.3 overs, while Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja took a wicket each. (ANI)
