Dubai, Oct 17 (IANS) Former India cricketer Suresh Raina feels leg-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy will be the "main guy in the attack" when the Virat Kohli-led side begin their campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup against Pakistan here on October 24. Playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, Chakaravarthy made life difficult for batters and had a haul of 18 wickets from 17 games, with an economy of just over 6.5. With his best figures of 3/13 in IPL 2021, the 30-year-old -- who plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket -- was placed joint sixth with 18 wickets on the 'Purple Cap' list. India vs Pakistan, ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Ajit Agarkar Reckons Babar Azam and Co Won’t Pose a Big Challenge for Virat Kohli’s Men
Raina said he had high hopes from Chakaravarthy. "My experience in the IPL was that the wickets in UAE and Oman will be very, very challenging when it comes to the mystery spinners. That makes Varun Chakaravarthy the main guy in the India bowling attack. He has showed he can exploit the pace of the pitches. Varun has only played three T20Is but I'm not concerned by any lack of experience," said Raina in his column for the ICC. Shoaib Akhtar Chills With Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar in Dubai Ahead of India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021 Match, Pics Go Viral
Raina said that Indian had a potent seam attack, with plenty of experience. "There is plenty of experience in this team, particularly in the seam attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar in particular leads the way when it comes to experience and knowledge of how to deal with the big games. The inclusion of Shardul Thakur can also give extra strength to the fast bowlers that Virat has at his disposal," said Raina.
"We have been waiting for this T20 World Cup for a long time. It has been a difficult two years but I think we're about to see something special in the UAE and Oman."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2021 09:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).