India’s thrilling victory over New Zealand in their recent ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A match showcased the emergence of a promising talent, Varun Chakravarthy. While Chakravarthy has demonstrated his abilities in T20Is previously, his Champions Trophy debut was particularly impactful, as he claimed 5 wickets against the New Zealand team.
Impressed by Chakravarthy’s performance, former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin commended captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir for their astute tactical move to include Chakravarthy in the playing XI for the crucial match against New Zealand, replacing pacer Harshit Rana.
In his YouTube channel, Ashwin emphasized the strategic brilliance of Gambhir and Rohit in introducing Chakravarthy during the New Zealand game.
Ashwin stated, “I must acknowledge the exceptional scouting and in-depth analysis that went into utilizing Varun Chakravarthy against Daryl Mitchell. Mitchell was effectively restricted, unable to read Chakravarthy’s spin and prevented from advancing down the pitch. India skillfully limited his scoring opportunities by strategically positioning fielders to intercept his sweep and reverse sweep attempts.”
Despite initial questions from some quarters regarding the team’s choice to field four spinners against New Zealand, with only one frontline fast bowler, Ashwin disagrees that including Chakravarthy was a gamble. He praised the experienced spinner for his “remarkable skill” in dismantling the New Zealand batting lineup.
Ashwin further added, “I don’t believe playing Varun is a risk at all. The batters seem unable to decipher his bowling. He isn’t just getting wickets on the edge; there’s a deeper mystery to why they can’t read him. What distinguishes him is the amount of revolutions he imparts on the ball, causing it to dip effectively. His deliveries aren’t slow; they come in at a high pace in the 90s. It’s truly an exceptional skill.”
Topics Covered in This Article
- India Cricket Team
- New Zealand Cricket Team
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Gautam Gambhir
- Rohit Sharma
- Varun Chakaravarthy
- ICC Champions Trophy 2025
- Cricket
