T20 World Cup 2026: Varun Chakravarthy’s quiet outings against South Africa and Zimbabwe raise questions over his impact in crunch games?
India’s trump card in the 2026 T20 World Cup – Varun Chakravarthy – has fallen apart in the last two Super Eights games. He conceded 47 runs for one wicket against South Africa and 35 runs for one wicket against Zimbabwe, bowling four overs in each match.
In total, Chakravarthy went for 82 runs for just two wickets in eight overs, averaging 41 with an economy rate of over 10 runs per over. This is in sharp contrast to his performance in the group stage, where he picked up nine wickets in four matches at an average of 6.89 and an economy of 5.17.
Since the 2024 World T20, Chakravarthy has been India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is, claiming 68 wickets in 34 innings at an average of 13.79 and a strike rate of 11.21.
So, what happened in the space of two Super Eights matches?
Well-prepared batters turn tables against Chakravarthy
Chakravarthy is regarded as a mystery bowler, capable of delivering the googly with the same action as his stock ball. Much of his success has come from that deception, with batters often unsure which way the ball will turn. He returned figures of 3/7 against Namibia and followed it up with 3/14 against the Netherlands, 2/17 against Pakistan and 1/24 against the USA. Barring Pakistan, the other three sides had little prior exposure to a quality spinner like Varun Chakravarthy, and they appeared largely at sea against him.
The story, however, was different against South Africa. Their batters have regularly faced Chakravarthy in bilateral series and in the IPL, so the element of novelty was missing. They seemed far better prepared for what he would bring to the table. As a result, the likes of David Miller, Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs, all of whom ply their trade in the IPL, each cleared the ropes against him.
South Africa did not allow Chakravarthy to settle. Miller, in particular, set the tone by striking two fours off him in the fifth over of the powerplay. He later revealed that there had been clear plans to take Chakravarthy on. “…we’ve got to take Chakravarthy down because he is a threat to every team that he plays against. It was definitely something that we did speak about,” Miller said after the match. Although Miller eventually fell to Chakravarthy, the batter had done his job with a 35-ball 63.
In the second game as well, Chakravarthy met with a similar fate. Tadiwanashe Marumani and Sikandar Raza struck a six each off his bowling. Much like South Africa, Zimbabwe appeared to have done their homework on Chakravarthy. They did not allow him to run away with the game by striking early in the powerplay.
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Varun Chakravarthy’s key to comeback
International teams are now better prepared with detailed analysis of every opposition bowler. There are support staff dedicated to studying bowlers. Their styles, release points and the subtle changes they make to bowl different deliveries and deceive batters. Varun Chakravarthy, despite being a master of variations, is not immune to such well-laid plans.
As seen, some batters, notably David Miller, have managed to sort out the mystery around Chakravarthy and were able to plunder runs against him. Credit must also go to the batters for executing their plans well on the field.
Chakravarthy, however, has two years of hard work behind him, during which he emerged as the top T20I bowler in the world. Two underwhelming games should not dent his confidence ahead of the Super Eights clash against West Indies — a virtual quarter-final. There is no need for him to lose sleep over the last two performances; instead, he must return to the basics that helped him rise to the top.
He has scripted a career-changing comeback before, and these last two matches could just be the push he needs to come back all guns blazing in the business end of the tournament.
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