“Yes, at times you can be hit. The format is such. But Varun is mentally strong and knows how to improvise, be it change lines, bowling a bit quicker or change angles. So this ability to not get rattled and bowl again with a positive mindset, sets him apart,” the former TN captain assessed.
Varun, who relies more on side spin to be effective, believes that familiar conditions helped him. “I am used to seeing such pitches in the IPL. I know that it is for the seamers but I know there are certain lengths which is helpful for me. I am trying to keep it away from their arc, it was holding a bit. Every over, bowling in Eden is challenging. To bowl to batsmen like Jos (Buttler) and other guys is definitely challenging. The last over was very tricky and challenging, but by God’s grace, I was successful. What I realised I can’t beat batsmen with side-spin, the only way I can beat the batsmen is through bounce. I’m still 7 on 10, still more work to do,” he said after the match.
Balaji insisted that Varun’s ability to mix his deliveries, in particular the googly, has made him a dangerous customer to face.
“You see Varun is bowling a lot quicker and his body language says that he wants wickets. The way he foxed Harry Brook and Livingstone with a googly shows that he knows how to use and when to use the most effective ball for a spinner. With most players
predominantly on the front foot and looking to step out and hit, one needs to be judicious and Varun is intelligent,” he said.
Wednesday’s outcome is not a surprise as Varun has had excellent returns in recent times. He had entered the series after a successful Vijay Hazare and Balaji felt that the spinner can excel in other formats of the game too.
“Varun was brilliant in Vijay Hazare. That also helped him to be in the zone against England. He got a couple of fifers and was one of the leading wicket takers (Vijay Hazare). And he is slowly making a mark in 50-over cricket also. I don’t see a reason why he cannot be a 50-overs cricketer at the international level. And I see a reason why he can ambitiously think about red-ball also in the future.”
“You see when India plays a long Test series like they did in Australia and will be playing in England later this year, there will be no white-ball international matches for us. Apart from the few white-ball internationals, the 14 IPL games, the TNPL doesn’t give Varun much scope to evolve around as a spinner. So, he is someone who has searched for white-ball cricket and evolved. And he can work on his bowling in red-ball also. That (red ball) can also be discovered for he has the ability to learn and keep improving. A player needs to expand boundaries, so obviously that is one of the boundaries which I would also like to see him explore,” Balaji signed off.