KKR vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer has said that having Varun Chakravarthy at the Chepauk will be an advantage for them in their clash against CSK on April 11. Varun will be coming to play in his home conditions.
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00:00In the last game, although CHK lost, the top order showed intent. They did well.
00:06So, how do you think your bowlers will measure up to them in this game?
00:12To be honest, it doesn't really matter if any team shows intent.
00:17Our planning will always be on point regarding every batsman,
00:22what are his strengths and weaknesses and what are our strengths and weaknesses as well.
00:26But as far as the intent goes, T20 cricket is about intent.
00:30Just because we've seen a few games where 100 runs have been scored at the power play,
00:35it does not mean that a 60 for 1 or 65 for 1 is not a good power play.
00:39So, the intent has always been there and we rate them as a highly skilled team.
00:44And we'll just look to go out there and do our business and play the game and win.
00:49Having Varun on the team is an advantage. Do you know the conditions?
00:52Do you feel it's a big advantage for you?
00:54Yeah, absolutely. Irrespective of the conditions, I think Varun is a world-class spinner now.
00:58Everywhere he goes, people look up to him. He delivers when it matters the most.
01:03But yeah, him playing in his home ground is going to be a huge importance.
01:07It's going to be a huge factor as well, also considering that Ajinkya played here for two years,
01:12Mohin Ali played for two years. So, I think we've got a good think tank as well
01:17with regards to how this pitch will play and, you know, as I told you, our plans are intact.
01:22Do you think that given the conditions here, you will be feeling more at home here?
01:28Like, not of course the fan situation, but there has been a lot of talk about Ingarden's conditions.
01:36So, do you think here because the ball turns, stops a bit, you will be more at home here given the quality of spin attack you have?
01:45Wherever CSK plays, it's their home basically. But I feel we never look at it that way.
01:52We never look at what is the best condition for us, what not.
01:55We prepare ourselves for good conditions of cricket, you know, and that's what professional sport is about.
02:00You turn up to every venue and you are flexible in terms of your own skill and the team's skill as well.
02:05And last season, I remember playing a final here where our fast bowlers took most of the wickets.
02:10So, it's equally conducive both for fast bowlers, spinners, and if you put your head into it, then you can bat and score runs here as well.
02:16And if a team has to be a champion, then it has to understand that all the conditions, you have to have the combination that can do well.
02:24But as far as Chepauk goes, yes, we know the ball might spin and grip a little.
02:28It will aid our spinners who I consider to be world class.
02:33But we are not heading into this game thinking that this is the pitch that we would want or these are the conditions that we would want.
02:39If we do that, then I think we are selecting a comfort zone for us and that's something that champion teams don't do.
02:48You observe the team's weakness and strength.
02:57Yeah, our team?
03:00Yeah, obviously our combination is pretty much the same which there was last year but I think we played some very good cricket.
03:09To be very honest, we played some very good cricket. Even the last game, yes, we leaked 240 runs but the pitch was such.
03:16But we lost only by 4 runs which goes on to show that it was an evenly contested game and we did not lose it one sided.
03:24And as far as learnings from the five games go, it is more about individual game rather than a team skill.
03:33Obviously our combination is the same. Batting orders might keep changing but once individual players understand how they wanted to enter a tournament and what has worked and not worked for them so far, I think from here on we will build.
03:46After a slightly slower start personally to the season for you, you just took down Cummins there against SRH and you almost pulled it off against LSD last time two attacking innings and happy memories of the 50 here last time around as well.
03:58Do you feel you are probably at your best hitting range for this season or close to the best hitting range now after those innings?
04:05For me, I am at my best when my mindset for the game is right, when my approach towards the game is right.
04:12That has got nothing to do with the runs that I score because we are playing one of the best franchise cricket tournaments in the world.
04:19If I have certain amount of skill, the other team has the same skill as well.
04:22So for me, the benchmark has always been the mindset that I carry and I feel I am carrying a very good mindset towards the game.
04:31My approach and attitude towards every game is very good. As far as that goes on, you know, performances might happen, might not.
04:38You know, it's a professional sport. So that is what I look to do and I feel like my mindset is very good at this point of time and I want to carry it forward.
04:45What is the role of the role of the team that they are playing?
04:49Especially in the match, they are playing CSG, so what are they playing?
04:54They are also very exciting to be honest. Plus, they are playing T20 professional matches in the T20 match.
05:01They are playing T20 cricket.
05:07The players experience are playing T20 match. They have experiences and they have to reach their situations.
05:13So, every situation takes place to their answer.
05:15Every situation takes place to live into situations.
05:18Plus, they have the time they spend in CSG.
05:21So, in the ground, we don't know how to batting, bowling, or how to use tactics.
05:28But, I don't know, one of the factors is that everyone has a whole set-up.
05:34The set-up has a little bit of time.
05:36But with DJ, the time is not enough.
05:40Everyone is welcome to our team.
05:42If we use our experience, if we accept that team's benefit, we can accept it.
05:47So, I think, he's become a family.
05:54Hi, Venki. Anish from Sportstar.
05:57Your team is somebody who has a very long batting order, the middle order.
06:01And if you see someone like Andy Russell who has showed for many years what he is capable of.
06:06But this season, if you see, he hasn't really contributed.
06:09How much of a factor is the entry point of a batter like Andy Russell?
06:14Because it makes a difference whether he gets to play 10-12 balls extra.
06:17For example, the chase against LSG.
06:19Maybe if he had had an over or two, maybe the thing would have been different.
06:22How would you look at it from a think-tank point of view?
06:25I think from the analytics point of view, it's a huge thing.
06:27You know, the entry point of batters is everything when it comes to T20.
06:31Once you assess if a certain pitch is going to suit an individual or not,
06:36you decide his entry point whether it will be early or give him few overs.
06:40But in a team like KKR, where the batting order is known to score big
06:47or we have the firepower to finish the games on a high,
06:51I think it is not much of a talk going in.
06:54Obviously, people would be talking about when he should come, when he should not.
06:57But we should not forget that we have Rinku Singh also.
07:00We have Ramandeep Singh also.
07:02Yes, Dre has been doing this for a very long time,
07:05but we've got able competition for him as well.
07:08And when all these players come together in a combination,
07:12it is very difficult for opposition to bowl at them.
07:14And there are a lot of grounds where we also have to consider
07:18maintaining a left-right combination.
07:20So, there are a lot of things that delay or alter a certain batter's entry positions.
07:25But trust me, everything within the team is well thought of.
07:30Just as I told him, we have 600 matches experience in DJ Bravo.
07:35So, we have a lot of experience and every decision that they make is well thought of.
07:39Last match, at home-ground level, Mr. Arnuthi Bhupath.
07:42Yes.
07:43Mr. Arnuthi Bhupath, you have already scored.
07:46There are 3 spinners in Bowling line-up,
07:49and there are 3 spinners.
07:52We also have the KK2 spinners.
07:54There are 3 spinners in the same way.
07:57I don't know how to take the surface.
07:59As we tell you, we don't have any kind of surface.
08:02We don't have any kind of surface.
08:04We don't have a lot of spinners,
08:05but we cannot have enough spinners.
08:08I told you that in the last year,
08:11we have a fastball in the finals.
08:14And in our fast bowling, actually, we are going to play all the time.
08:17So, I think, once we get the pitch, pop, conditions, assesses, we will decide where we will decide who to play.
08:25I am not going to play bowling.
08:28I am going to play a little bit.
08:30I am going to play a little bit.
08:32I am going to play a little bit.