IPL: Varun terms bowling to Dhoni a ‘surreal’ experience

Chennai-based Varun, who made a solitary appearance for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) last year before pulling out with an injury, has thus far come out on top against big shots – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain David Warner and Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Shikhar Dhawan.

The 29-year-old’s latest victim was Dhoni, whose stumps were castled during the KKR-CSK contest in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. In a conversation with opening batsman Rahul Tripathi post the IPL 2020 fixture, Varun spoke about how he has come a long way.

“Three years back, I used to go to the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai and sit with other fans just to see Dhoni bat. Now, I got to bowl to him and it was a surreal experience,” said Varun, Kolkata’s highest wicket-taker with five scalps in four matches.

“The surface was very flat. I felt that it was a 180-run wicket. It was not turning a great deal and Mahi bhai was going well. Yeah, I did feel the pressure of bowling to him. But, I thought that if I can land the ball in the good length area, I might have a chance to take his wicket. Thankfully, I was able to execute it well,” he added.

KKR captain Dinesh Karthik lauded the efforts of Varun and his spin twin Sunil Narine for keeping the batsmen quiet in the slog overs. “CSK batted really well at the start. But in the back end, I had a lot of trust on Narine as well as Varun and they just paid me back,” Karthik told commentator Harsha Bhogle in the presentation ceremony.

After the game, Varun experienced a fanboy moment when he clicked a photo with the legendary Dhoni. “I just want to say one line in Tamil. Thala, Thala dhan,” said Varun, who shared the picture on his official Instagram handle.