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Kevin Pietersen thinks Varun Chakaravarthy won’t be as effective in ODIs against England as in T20Is. He praised India’s decision but noted the longer format gives batsmen more time.
Varun Chakravarthy. (Picture Credit: AP)
Kevin Pietersen believes that the in-form Indian spinner Varun Chakarvarthy won’t be as effective against England in the upcoming three-ODI series as he was in the T20Is, where he was the best bowler 14 wickets in just five matches at an average of 9.86. The former England captain said ODI’s will give his compatriots more time to adjust to Chakaravarthy’s variations because ‘not every ball is an event’.
India added Chakaravarthy to their ODI squad for the England ODIs on Tuesday. He’s yet to make his debut in the format but has an excellent List-A record: 59 wickets at an average of 14.13 and an economy rate of 4.28 in 23 matches. He was the joint-highest wicket-taking spinner in the recent season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier 50-over competition, with 18 wickets at just 12.72.
“The English batters would be better against him in the one-dayers because they can spend more time. It’s a longer format, not every ball is an event. But I think it is a great decision (to add Chakravarthy),” Pietersen told media at a promotional event on Tuesday, as quoted by PTI.
Pietersen also added that the T20I series was ‘disappointing’ from England’s perspective, but mentioned that if it were not for the concussion substitute of Harshit Rana for Shivam Dube in the fourth T20I, the series result might have been different.
“It was a disappointing series from England’s perspective. I think that in the fourth T20I, if the concussion substitution had been done correctly, maybe England would have got up there,” he said. “It would have been 2-2 coming to the Wankhede (Stadium for final T20I). It would have been way more on the game. But it didn’t happen.”
Rana, a bowling all-rounder, had replaced Dube, a batting all-rounder, in the second innings under the concussion sub rule which allows ‘like-for-like’ changes. Rana took three wickets for 33 runs, helping India seal a narrow win to take the series 3-1 while Dube came back fit for the final T20I and took two wickets, as well.
England skipper Jos Buttler had said that his team didn’t agree with the referee Javagal Srinath’s call to allow India to make that substitution.