Chakaravarthy starred with the ball in India’s 44-run victory over New Zealand.
Chasing 250 to win, New Zealand’s innings folded for a paltry 205 in 45.3 overs. Chakaravarthy was the wrecker-in-chief with the ball, claiming five wickets by conceding 42 runs in his 10 overs.
The Kiwi batters were bamboozled by the mystery spinner. They struggled to pick his deliveries as Chakaravarthy dismissed Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry.
After scripting the win, Varun Chakaravarthy revealed how the veteran duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma helped calm his nerves in what was the second game of his ODI career.
"I did feel nervous in the initial stages because I've not played many matches for India in ODIs, so I definitely felt nervous, but as the game started progressing, I felt better. Virat was talking to me, Rohit Bhai was talking to me, Shreyas, Hardik, everyone was talking to me, they were telling me just calm down, just calm down," said Varun in the post-match interview.
Varun Chakaravarthy was added to the playing XI in place of fast bowler Harshit Rana, who was given some rest. However, the spinner produced a match-winning performance for India, and now it seems certain that he will feature in the knock-out stage.
When asked when he got know about his inclusion in the playing XI, Varun said, "I found out last night. I was definitely expecting to play for the country, and I was looking forward to it, but on the other hand, I was feeling a little nervous."
"It was not a rank turner, but if you bowl in the right places, it was giving certain help, and that's what, it was not my own performance. The way Kuldeep bowled, Jadeja bowled, and Axar bowled, and even the pace bowlers, it was a total team effort," he added.
With this victory, the Rohit Sharma-led side finished at the top of the Group A points table. They will face Australia in the first semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday (March 4).
On the other hand, New Zealand will lock horns against South Africa in the second semi-final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday (March 5).