Mon Nov 11 08:37:06 UTC 2024: ## Chakaravarthy Credits Gambhir for Role Clarity, Eyes Wickets in Must-Win South Africa Series
**Centurion, South Africa:** Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has expressed gratitude to Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir for providing him with “role clarity” following his return to the national side.
Chakaravarthy, who had a career-best spell of 5 for 17 in the second T20I against South Africa, revealed that Gambhir emphasized the importance of picking wickets, even if runs conceded are high. “He told me, even if you go for 30-40 runs, it doesn’t matter. All you have to focus on is picking wickets. That’s your role in the team,” Chakaravarthy shared.
The spinner, who played under Gambhir for the Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL title victory this year, admitted to a “tough” three-year hiatus from international cricket. He attributed his return to form to a consistent domestic grind, which helped him rediscover his game.
Despite India’s narrow three-wicket loss in the second T20I, Chakaravarthy remains optimistic about India’s chances in the remaining two matches, which are crucial for them to avoid a series defeat.
“During the innings break, Surya (skipper Suryakumar Yadav) came and told us not to think about the result and just go all out. That’s what we tried to do. We gave it our best and could have pulled it off,” said Chakaravarthy, highlighting the team’s aggressive mindset going forward.
“Obviously, the mindset has to be aggressive when the score is low. You have to focus on picking wickets to win the match. That’s my approach for the next two games as well, as it’s a do-or-die situation for us,” he concluded.
The third and final T20Is will take place on Wednesday and Friday at Centurion and Johannesburg respectively.
First Piper 