Gavaskar Praises Varun Chakravarthy's Positive Body Language in T20I Win

Varun's spell of 2/37 in four overs, along with Arshdeep Singh's 1/31, helped India squeeze the Kiwis during a daunting chase of 239 runs, restricting them to 190/7 to give India a 1-0 lead in the series. Before this game, Varun had played a couple of games for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), taking six wickets, including a four-fer against Rajasthan.

Speaking on 'Cricket Live', Gavaskar said, "Varun looked a little rusty, but that's understandable. He picked up two wickets, and the economy rate, when the batters are going hell-bent for leather, was pretty decent as well. The important thing is that his body language was good. Often, you know, his body language, sometimes when he's taken for a few runs, can be a little bit down. That did not happen. He was walking back to the mark, upright, and was not looking fazed by the fact that he had been hit for a couple of sixes, and that is always a very good sign."

The Indian cricket icon also said that Varun's positive body language showcases how much confidence and belief he has gained in himself, while also pointing out how, earlier, Varun's negative body language would give signs of a lack of confidence and belief he had in himself.

"He is a magician, make no mistake. He bowls brilliantly. So yes, in this format or even in the 50-over format, which will be expensive, he just has to believe, 'Yes, next over I amgoing to get my two wickets,' and that is what he does," he added.

He also hailed Team India for "ticking the box" after winning the first game and starting off the year with a win in T20Is leading upto the World Cup.

"You win the first game, that's a ticked box for sure. Yes, within that ticked box, there will be other small boxes to be ticked off, but you know it's always good to start the new year, a new campaign, with a win before the World Cup. I think it is always good to start with a win, so no complaints whatsoever. I think India did brilliantly to get to 238, and then they bowled really well. Yes, the odd catch went down, but all around the performance was very, very heartening," he added.

Coming to the match, NZ elected to field first. Incredible knocks from Abhishek Sharma (84 in 35 balls, with five fours and eight sixes) and Rinku Singh (44* in 20 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) along with important cameos from skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32 in 22 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and Hardik Pandya (25 in 16 balls, with three fours and a six) took India to 238/7 in 20 overs.

Jacob Duffy (2/27) and Kyle Jamieson (2/54) were the top bowlers for NZ.

During the chase, the Kiwis were down at 52/3, but a 79-run stand between Phillips and Mark Chapman (39 in 24 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) gave the Kiwis a glimmer of hope. However, Chakravarthy (2/37) and Arshdeep Singh (1/31) delivered fine spells to restrict NZ to 190/7 in 20 overs, giving India a win and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

- ANI