Even if it's death over or powerplay, my focus will be on process: Chakaravarthy

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) After bamboozling England with an incredible 3-23 and setting the stage for India to win the T20I series opener by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens, wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy stated that his focus will always be on making progress in his bowling, irrespective of the phase of the game he’s in.

Chakaravarthy’s spell included him castling Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone in quick succession, before taking out captain Jos Buttler to break the back of England’s batting, as they were bowled out for 132.

“95% of my focus is on myself because if I remove it from myself and put it on the batter, I'll miss my process and end up bowling a full toss or a short ball. Even if it's the death over or the powerplay, my focus remains on my process. I don't think much about what the batter is going to do, but it does run in the back of my mind," said Chakaravarthy to Disney+ Hotstar.

He also revealed he's trying to make his deliveries harder to predict by adding variations to the pace he bowls at, apart from continuing to bowl with over-spin. "I've worked on trying to vary my pace. I don't want batters to line me up because I'm bowling at the same speed every ball. That's what I've worked on, and I'm trying to perfect it further."

"After the 2021 World Cup, I analysed my bowling. I realised I was bowling more sidespin, so I was not able to beat the batsman with the sidespin. I figured out that I had to beat them through bounce, so I started working on my overspin bowling, and that's working now. If it bounces more, the chances are it'll spin more."

Asked if he's instructed to hunt for wickets or restrict runs from the Indian team, Chakaravarthy said, "It has always been to look for wickets. Even if you get hit for a six, you look for a wicket with the next ball and keep attacking the stumps. That's what has been told to me."

Chakravarthy signed off by expressing happiness over coming good at a venue he knows by the back of his hand, as it’s the home ground of his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. "It's very nice. Playing against England, a top side, at Eden (Gardens) is challenging. It's a small ground. I was nervous in the morning looking at the pitch and the boundary size, but I thought if I stick to my process, I'll be able to do well."

India have a 1-0 lead in the five-match series and will take on England in the second T20I at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, which is the home venue of Chakaravarthy and Washington Sundar.