We could have assessed the pitch better: Varun Chakaravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) succumbed to their first defeat of Indian Premier  League (IPL) 2024 on April 8 (Monday) at Chepauk, losing by seven wickets. They managed to put up just 137 on the board, and CSK romped home with seven wickets and 14 balls to spare. 

KKR spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who bowled an economical spell (0/26), feels that 160-170 would have been par on that pitch and reckons that they should have ideally assessed the pitch better.

"We could have assessed the pitch better because it was staying low. It was tough to connect the shots, but I felt 160 would have been a par score,” Chakaravarthy said in the post-match press conference.

“When I saw the pitch, I felt it was flat, but the way the track behaved was totally different. That can happen on any ground. 160-170 would have been a fighting total."

Chakaravarthy revealed that he found it difficult to grip the ball when dew came into play. “There was a lot of dew in the second innings, and bowling to Dube was tough. The seam was very wet, and I could not grip the ball much,” the 32-year-old added.

Despite this loss, KKR are well placed in the IPL 2024 table as they currently sit in second place with six points from four matches. They will hope to bounce back quickly when they take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their next match in Kolkata on April 14 (Sunday).