T20 World Cup at the back of my mind but focus is to ensure KKR qualify: Spinner Varun Chakravarthy

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy has said he will focus on getting fitter and ensuring the Kolkata Knights qualify for the 2021 Indian Premier League play-offs, and hopes to be selected for India’s T20 World Cup squad in the process.

Chakravarthy said there is a lot of competition among spinners for the Indian team. “The goal will be for KKR to qualify (for the playoffs) and I’m just focusing on that,” Chakravarthy said.

“If I have to be picked in the World Cup, let that happen. If it has to happen, it will happen. The World Cup is there on the back of my mind, but I’m not thinking too much about it.

“There’s so much competition (for the spin spots for the T20 World Cup) and that’s why I need to keep getting better and better. It’s not in a negative way; the competition is positive and healthy,” he said.

Chakravarthy’s international debut was delayed by injury and he finally played for India in their recent limited overs tour of Sri Lanka.

“Obviously, in international cricket, the learning is to keep getting better with every game I play,” he said. “Another learning is you have to take full responsibility of what you are going to bowl. In the international level, every ball matters, so you have to take full responsibility for it and the execution has to be perfect. I just stick to my process – it’s a very cliched thing – but sticking to the process has become my process. That’s the only thing I think about a lot.”