“Self-doubt” might well have crept into Varun Chakravarthy, especially after his disappointing show, like the other bowlers, in Kolkata Knight Riders’ inability to defend 262 against Punjab Kings last week at the Eden. The 32-year-old spinner was off to an inauspicious start in this IPL, not being too effective in most of his first eight appearances while also going for runs.

Against the Delhi Capitals on Monday, Chakravarthy’s task wasn’t at all easy as he was up against a batting unit that had gone into the game being in excellent form. Yes, the three early wickets that the Knight Riders picked up making good use of the new ball did give their bowling attack some momentum, yet the Capitals had piled up 67 runs in the Powerplay to lay a foundation for a sizeable total.

Moreover, their captain Rishabh Pant was still at the crease. Thus, Chakravarthy, finishing with 3/16, utilising the slowness of the Eden pitch that also offered a bit of turn according to him, was certainly central to restricting the Capitals to a modest total (153/9) which made the going a lot easier for the Knight Riders batters.

“The length is basically the same for me in all the matches. It’s just how the wicket behaves,” Chakravarthy stated. The mystery about his bowling may no longer be there, but he can still be super effective on his day.

All-rounder Andre Russell, who turned 36 on Monday, was effusive in his praise for Chakravarthy. “Varun, you bowled a tremendous spell,” Russell said on KnightsTV.

“What I loved most about your bowling tonight (Monday) was the pace you bowled at and the areas you hit. I think even when they keep going at you, you keep bowling that same length. So, once you keep it simple, you’re always in business.”

Of his three scalps, the one of Pant was massive as it had jolted Delhi just as they were trying to revive their innings. A fuller-length delivery targeting the stumps made Pant miscue it, which led to his departure.

“Varun tends to target the stumps, keeping it full. If the ball grips on the surface, he can make the batsman mishit it,” Sulakshan Kulkarni, who had coached Tamil Nadu in the last domestic season and watched Chakravarthy from close, told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

Red-ball cricket and Chakravarthy aren’t quite the best of friends as the Tamil Nadu cricketer has so far appeared in just one first-class game. But with the white ball, he cannot be written off, at least in the IPL or when representing his state even though his India experience (two wickets from six T20Is) hasn’t been great.

With 41 scalps in 17 List A games, Chakravarthy has 88 wickets from 81 T20s, while his economy rate (7.39) in the shortest format isn’t bad. And in 50-over cricket, it reads 4.25. The numbers do reflect how much of a contributor he could be in limited-overs cricket.

“Work ethics-wise, there cannot be any complaints regarding Varun. I’ve watched at the Tamil Nadu nets the kind of effort he puts in. What also helps him is his T20 psychology,” Kulkarni pointed out.

“He’s got a very good googly. That can fox any batsman, especially on a helpful wicket. It’s something I’ve seen from behind the stumps.

“At the same time, he’s trying to bowl keeping in mind the weaknesses and strengths of a batter. That helps him particularly in T20s,” Kulkarni emphasised.

With Mumbai Indians up next at the Wankhede on Friday, “self-doubt”, which KKR principal owner Shah Rukh Khan had asked him to keep away, should now be absent from the mind of a much more confident Chakravarthy.