An underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign notwithstanding, Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy would be crucial for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL beginning on March 28, former South African captain Faf du Plessis has said.
Du Plessis, who played for Chennai Super kings, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru before retiring from the tournament, told ‘JioHotStar’ that the Eden Gardens pitch should be tailormade for Sunil Narine and Chakaravarthy.
“If I was part of the KKR team management, I would ask the groundsman at Eden Gardens to make the wicket spin-friendly. KKR are blessed to have two absolute cannons in Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine,” he said.
“They are two of the best T20 spinners in the game right now. Both, Varun and Narine, have to be in the game. If they play on surfaces where they are not in contention, then you are losing those two cannons and your superpower. “Yes, they can bowl well on any wicket and trouble batters. But for KKR to be successful in this IPL, Varun and Narine need to fire. The pitch should be prepared keeping those two players in mind,” he added.
Chakravarthy wasn’t particularly effective during India’s title-winning campaign at the T20 World Cup and managed 14 wickets at an ordinary economy rate of more than 9. KKR finished third from bottom on the points table last season after winning just five of their 14 games.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led team will open their campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 29 in an away fixture. Du Plessis said another player who could prove crucial for the side is Cameron Green even though he warned that the Australian all-rounder would be under tremendous price tag pressure given his Rs 25.2 crore contract.