Getting a five-wicket haul in T20 cricket is a major achievement for a bowler considering the shorter format and the limitations on the number of overs one gets to bowl. Also, the game is inherently made batters-friendly to keep the spectators entertained with fours and sixes.
There have been many cases of bowlers claiming five wickets and helping the team to victory and there are also been cases in which bowlers have bagged a fifer in a losing cause.
India's Varun Chakravarthy on Tuesday became the first bowler to twice end up on the losing side despite taking a five-wicket haul. In the third T20I against England at Rajkot, Chakravarthy claimed 5 for 24 but India lost the match by 26 runs.
The 33-year-old Chakravarthy rattled the England middle and lower over by claiming two wickets in an over twice. Still, England recovered to reach 171/9 in 20 overs with Ben Duckett hammering a 28-ball 51 and Liam Livingstone blazing to a 24-ball 43.
India lost their way early and despite a fighting 35-ball 40 ended up at 145/9 in 20 overs, falling short by 26 runs. Chakravarthy, however, said the unwanted record does not bother him as he has to make do with whatever opportunities come his way.
I’m sad that we didn’t make it but that’s the nature of the game and you have to move on. I am mentally ready for whatever the captain needs (whether it’s a four-over spell or four spells of one-over). I mean I can't complain because that's the nature of the game. There have been days when I don't take 5 (wickets) but we might end up losing. So I can't complain, but my job is to just keep focusing on what I can do, what I can perform for the team and that's all that's all is in my control.
Ask for the reason for India's defeat in the third T20I after winning the first two matches and restricting England to a modest total, Chakravarthy said the pitch went slower when India batted second and there was no dew, which helped England spinners, especially the experienced Adil Rashid.
What I observed was the pitch definitely got slower in the second innings. We thought that there might be dew that might set in, but the dew didn't set in. So that definitely played in their favour. And obviously, Adil Rashid is a legend and he knows how to bowl. He has that control over his speed and (guile) yeah.
Chakravarthy has done well in the first two matches too - claiming 3-23 in the first match and 2-38 in the second. He said he hadn't done anything new before the series and rather worked on his consistency.
Nothing new, but the work does not stop because consistency is a constant work as in even if I can bowl a ball, a stock ball, I need to keep working on it, keep pushing it. I need to get 9 on 10 consistency that work is always there. So right now my focus is on consistency and line and length.
The T20I caravan moves to Pune for the fourth match of the five-match series on January 31. India lead the series 2-1.
