Varun Chakravarthy says India aim to win remaining T20Is against New Zealand

Varun Chakravarthy said India would aim to win their remaining two T20Is against New Zealand after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead. The spinner also praised India's batters, discussed his fitness and highlighted the need to keep improving amid competition.

Auckland: India spinner Varun Chakravarthy opened up about India’s goal for the remainder of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead with two games to go.

Speaking ahead of the start of the fourth match at Eden Park in Auckland, Chakravarthy stated that head coach Gautam Gambhir had told the team to win every match in the series, adding that this remains the team’s target. “See, the first thing GG told us was that it’s a five-match series and we look to win every match. So that’s the goal. And the next two matches we’ll be taking it as a two-match series. So we need to win both matches,” Chakravarthy said ahead of the fourth T20I.

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India chased down the 199-run target in just 13.2 overs in the third T20I in Wellington, making a mockery of New Zealand’s bowling line-up. He also praised the Indian batters and hoped they would produce another similar performance in the fourth game.

“I don’t think you can top that, but I hope they can repeat that today. And yeah, they are used to playing on such pitches and in such small venues. Yeah, so that played into our advantage for sure,” he added.

Chakravarthy has recently struggled with injuries. He suffered a side strain during India’s T20I series against Afghanistan in September, which ruled him out of the Asian Games and a one-off T20I against Japan.

He was picked for the T20I series against New Zealand but has not played a single game so far. The spinner also spoke about his fitness, adding “Yeah, lot better. I’m ready to go.”

The 35-year-old also opened up about the competition in the Indian squad and what keeps him motivated. “Yeah, see, playing in India, the best thing that you want to happen for yourself is being in the contention. So you need to keep pushing yourself because there’s so much talent coming. And you just can’t have, if you go back home, you can’t just rest. So it’s just keep, need to keep pushing yourself and try to do well, yeah,” the mystery spinner added.