'Fortune favours the brave' - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Varun Chakravarthy after five-wicket haul against England

England got the better of India by 26 runs in the third T20I of the five-match series on January 28 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Despite the loss, Varun Chakravarthy's performance with the ball was one of the positives for the hosts. The wily spinner shone bright, ending up with a brilliant five-wicket haul in a losing cause. Notably, he became the first Indian to bag the Player of the Match award in a T20I in a losing cause.

Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar elaborated on the reason for Chakravarthy to attain the success he has been achieving in T20Is in the recent past. 

“It’s happening very often and a second five-wicket haul is crazy in T20 cricket. And I have talked about the reason for it. He pitches the ball up and was not afraid to do it today (Tuesday) as well. He bowled one up to Jamie Smith, who tonked him for a six and then he bowled a little shorter, but he’s always up there, challenging the batters to go at him," stated Manjrekar, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"As they say, 'fortune favours the brave', he’s willing to take that risk and that’s how he gets his wickets. The ball never sort of just pitches and goes straight on. There is always some firki (revolutions) when the ball is released. He’s a hard man to get away,” he added.

Also Read: 'This is the brand of cricket we want to play'- Varun Chakravarthy backs India's batting approach after Rajkot loss

With England achieving victory, the T20I series is alive going into the remainder of the rubber. The fourth and fifth games will be played on January 31 and February 2 in Pune and Mumbai. A win in any of the games will grant a series win to the Indian outfit.