‘He showed confidence to defend 9 runs’ - Harbhajan Singh extols Varun Chakravarthy for his final-over heroics against SRH

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh heaped praise on Varun Chakravarthy after the latter showed nerves of steel during the death overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In doing so, the spinner helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) narrowly win the contest by five runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 4.

During the chase of 172 runs, SRH lost wickets at regular intervals and were reduced to 54/4 in under seven overs of the clash. However, a 70-run stand between Heinrich Klaasen (36 off 20) and skipper Aiden Markram (41 off 40), helped revive the chase for the home side and kept them steady to earn a potential win.

Following their dismissals, spinner Varun took the onus of leading the side in the death overs as he proved his mettle while defending nine runs off the final over. On that note, Harbhajan lavished praise on the KKR spinner for remaining calm under pressure and also lauded skipper Nitish Rana’s decision to back Varun in the final over.

"Varun Chakravarthy bowled tight lines all along the death overs against SRH. He changed his angle and showed confidence in the final over to defend nine runs. It was good captaincy from Nitish Rana as well for giving the ball to Varun,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.

He knows how to convert his form into good knocks: Mohammad Kaif 

During the first innings, KKR lost three wickets under five overs which kept them reeling. However, skipper Nitish led from the front and carved 42 off 31 balls which included three sixes and as many fours. On the other hand, Rinku Singh remained steady and played a delicate knock, scoring a 35-ball 46 with four boundaries and one six to his name. However, it was Rinku’s ability to understand the situation and play accordingly that earned him praises from former India batter Mohammad Kaif.

"Rinku Singh has been showing a lot of maturity with his performances. His footwork is very good, he looks confident every time he walks in the middle. He knows how to convert his form into good knocks and also knows when to shift gears. He keeps rotating the strike early on and later plays his shots. Rinku is capable of hitting big shots as well and this quality makes him a special player,” Kaif told on the same show.