TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: Team India might have sealed a comfortable win against Bangladesh, but fielding lapses continue to haunt Suryakumar Yadav’s men in the ongoing Asia Cup. With as many as 12 catches dropped in the tournament, nine of them in the last two games, questions are mounting over India’s fielding standards despite their dominant run. Varun Chakravarthy, who himself has been at the receiving end of these lapses, admitted that the team can’t hide behind excuses. “As they say, you can’t give excuses at this level. As a team we definitely have to start catching all those because we look like we will be qualifying for the finals and we should be taking them,” Varun said after India’s thumping 41-run win over Bangladesh in their Super Four clash. The spinner pointed to the “ring of fire” at the Dubai International Stadium as a factor that occasionally distracts fielders. “It comes in the eyesight sometimes and it’s a little bit of disturbance. We have to get acclimatised to it,” he said. Chakravarthy acknowledged that the fielding coach T Dilip will have stern words. “This team has been picked with a mission till the World Cup. We have to pick up our fielding obviously and definitely the fielding coach will have lots to say. Last match he didn’t say much, but this match I think he’ll have a lot to say,” he added. Asked about the surface, Varun felt that conditions were more favourable than in earlier matches. “Compared to the first match wicket that we played against UAE and the other teams, definitely this pitch is a fresh pitch and definitely it looked better, a lot better. It was not too paced, it was coming on to the bat very well.” Chakravarthy himself enjoyed a strong comeback after a testing start. He revealed that subtle changes in how the ball behaved through the innings helped him strike back. “See if you ask me, I was just keeping it the same. It was just that initially the ball was skidding on more and as the ball started getting older, I started getting a little bit more purchase from the wicket. But other than that they definitely played me well in the powerplay.” The spinner also acknowledged the tactical challenge of bowling on pitches where runs dry up after the 10th over. “Talking in spinner’s perspective, if you’re bowling in the powerplay or right after the powerplay, there’s not much help from the wicket. But as the game progresses and as the field spreads out, it’s getting better.” Having cemented his place in India’s white-ball plans, Varun admitted that confidence plays a big role in how he approaches his spells. “In the powerplay the only aim is to look for wickets. It’s just looking for that one ball — if it pitches on that right spot and it turns a little bit, it can edge it. Even if I go for a few runs, my aim is to keep on attacking and try to look for more wickets.” Chakravarthy also gave a glimpse into the work he has put in since the IPL. “Right after IPL, we had the State Premier League, Tamil Nadu Premier League. We played that and after that I got one week break which I definitely went and practiced a lot. Yes, I’ve been working on my batting also. That has been my focus as of now.” India have already cemented their place in the final. They will lock horns against Sri Lanka on Friday.
