Former Indian wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel believes that Rahul Tripathi successfully read Varun Chakravarthy with ease after his time with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The talented batsman spent two seasons with the KKR before moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2022 auction. He played a stunning knock against his former franchise to lead SRH to their third successive win on Friday as well.
He scored 71 off 37 deliveries while chasing 176 and was adjudged Player of the Match also. While talking about Rahul Tripathi benefitted from all the time he spent in the KKR nets facing Varun, Patel said on Cricbuzz: “He was the game-changer, he showed his confidence. He was not shaken despite two wickets going down. He put Varun Chakravarthy under pressure right away, he read him well after facing him in the nets before. It is not easy to score a six over covers, but he did that on two occasions. The most important thing about his knocks so far has been the strike rate.”
However, Tripathi took on Chakravarthy right after he was introduced into the attack. He hit three successive boundaries, including two sixes over cover. The spinner eventually ended up giving away 45 off his three overs in the match.
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Terming Tripathi as a very important player, Ojha said: “He is a very busy player, till the time he is at the crease, it feels like the runs he makes create a lot of impact. The team has shown a lot of trust in him. The bids he got at the auction, despite him being an uncapped player, show that they were willing to include him in their squad. Even KKR might be thinking that they made this player, and gave him the opportunity. When your former players perform like this, it must hurt.”
Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy gave away 45 runs from his three overs in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) seven-wicket defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Parthiv Patel feels that he will be under the scanner following a poor start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. After six matches, Chakravarthy has four wickets at an economy rate of 8.30 as well.
Parthiv Patel said on Cricbuzz: “KKR’s bowling is a form of concern now. Till now they were relying on Umesh Yadav’s early wickets but their death bowling has always been an issue. There might also be a question on Varun Chakravarthy, he is their retained player. They will have to find a bowling option somehow. Narine is their only consistent bowler, who is bowling with an economy of under six,”
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After a bright start to the tournament, Umesh Yadav has faded too, losing his spot in the Purple Cap race. Pat Cummins is yet to find his rhythm as well while their fifth bowling option continues to be a headache too also.
Pragyan Ojha said: “The second half completely belonged to SRH. Tripathi played an extraordinary inning. You have to play according to the venue. On wickets where there is not much help, you need bowlers who can offer something different. You can see the difference between the two bowling attacks of both sides.”
