Watch: Varun Chakravarthy hits stumps, but bails don’t fall as Rayudu survives
Varun Chakravarthy was at the receiving end of a piece of heavy misfortune in the IPL 2022 opener on Saturday (March 26) as the batter induced an inside edge off Ambati Rayudu’s bat onto the stumps without the bails falling off.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mystery spinner defeated Rayudu in the air and got him inside edging an attempted slog through the on-side.
But just when it seemed that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) right-hander would be back to the pavillion, the ball made insignificant contact with the stump and ran away for a boundary.
Chakravarthy couldn’t believe his bad luck as what would’ve been a straightforward dismissal turned into four in Rayudu and CSK’s kitty.
Watch: Virat Kohli Goes In Search Of MS Dhoni During Practice Session Ahead Of IPL 2022
Varun Chakravarthy is donning the KKR colours again with IPL 2022.
No good fortune for Varun Chakravarthy against CSK
The near dismissal was on show on the fifth ball of the powerplay in CSK’s first-innings after KKR won the toss and opted to bowl. Facing Varun Chakravarthy’s first over, Rayudu looked intent on disturbing the spinner’s rhythm. But he nearly lost his wicket after an error in judgement on this ball, getting an inside edge on the stumps.
However, to Rayudu’s extremely good fortune and Chakravarthy’s horror, the ball only brushed the leg-stump after the inside edge and didn’t thump it enough so that the bails would fall off. To rub salt into the bowler’s wounds, the ball went for a boundary.
WATCH THE INCIDENT HERE
Initially, the non-dismissal left even the commentators puzzled as even though Rayudu’s inside edge had gotten away to the boundary, there was a sound that suggested that the delivery hit the stumps on its way. Later, the replays confirmed that it was indeed true and Rayudu was immensely fortunate on this occasion.
Varun Chakravarthy was livid to see what had transpired. On comeback trail since his ouster from India’s T20I squad in the aftermath of the team’s disappointing Super 12 exit at the T20 World Cup last November, the Tamil Nadu spinner is eyeing a bagful of wickets in this IPL and get back in the selectors’ reckoning.
In many ways, it is a solid second half of the IPL 2021 that earned the architect-turned-cricketer a nod for the last year’s showpiece event in India colours. The 30-year-old took 11 wickets in the UAE leg of the IPL last season with an excellent economy rate of 5.72.