India T20 skipper Surya hails Varun comeback after 2021 low
Honing his game in T20s and 50-over games has helped the spinner make a strong India return in the Champions Trophy
MUMBAI: With captains and coaches seeing the benefit of batting deep by packing the team with all-rounders, it is becoming increasingly tougher for specialist bowlers to stay relevant in modern cricket. Despite his success as a leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal most of the time found that he was sacrificed for the balance of the side. He was part of India’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup but didn’t figure in the playing XI as the Rohit Sharma-led side went on to lift the cup.
The only way for the one-dimensional players to stay relevant is through outstanding displays, becoming un-droppable. In the current side, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy didn’t figure in India’s first two group games of the Champions Trophy, but when he got the chance, in the final group game against New Zealand, he picked up a fifer to make his case for the semi-final against Australia.
It was not a straight-forward choice because the team management had to take a tough call between choosing the leg-spinner and the young pace bowler, Harshit Rana, who is a handy batter. Again, Chakravarthy only got the chance because India chose to go with four spinners on the slow Dubai Stadium track. Since playing four spinners is rare, it will not be easy for Chakravarthy to be an automatic choice when India play in other conditions, given how the think-tank values spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
On Tuesday, Chakravarthy justified his selection by providing the big breakthrough, claiming the wicket of opener Travis Head, who has been a thorn in the flesh for India in big games in recent times and had got off to a flyer, scoring a 33-ball 39. The mystery spinner returned fine figures of 10-0-49-2.
Though it is early days for Chakravarthy in ODIs, he has been a force in T20Is as one of skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s main weapons. As the CT semi-final was on, Yadav backed Chakravarthy to keep his place purely on his bowling. “At the end of the day it’s all about your skill and what skills you offer to the team. If it’s in the best interest of the team, then you have to pick those (specialist) bowlers,” said Yadav when asked for his insight on the make-up of India’s bowling unit. He was speaking to a few journalists at a brand promotional event.
Chakravarthy was a late selection for the one-day side after his strong showing in the recent T20I series against England, under Yadav. In the first chance he got in Dubai on Sunday, the Tamil Nadu bowler returned excellent figures of 5/42 in the convincing win over New Zealand. It was a significant comeback for the spinner as he had a forgettable 2021 T20 World Cup at the same Dubai International Stadium, failing to pick a wicket in three games as India were eliminated in preliminary stage.
He was not picked for three years after that and it appeared his India career was over.
To his credit, Chakravarthy has comeback stronger. He had strong showings in T20Is in 2024-25 against Bangladesh, South Africa and England and also worked on his tactics in 50-over cricket by playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, taking 18 wickets in six games with two five-fors.
“The way he left in 2021 and the way he has come back, it is two different Varuns. He has been a really hard working athlete since 2021; I’ve been watching him and have spoken with him many times since he returned to international cricket,” Yadav said.
“He has become a little tough mentally, yet he is smiling a lot and taking everything in his stride, irrespective of what happens on the field. This is very good from a cricketer’s point of view.
“I am really happy for him. He deserves everything (for) and all the recognition with what has been happening with him.”
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