IND v ENG 2025: “Varun Chakaravarthy willing to take risk”- Sanjay Manjrekar says spinner challenging batters to go after him
Varun became the third Indian bowler with more than one fifer in T20Is.
Varun Chakaravarthy starred for India despite their loss in the 3rd T20I against England in Rajkot on Tuesday. India lost the game by 26 runs as they failed to chase England’s total of 171/9.
Ben Duckett (51) and Liam Livingstone (43) starred with the bat for England as they posted a par total at the Niranjan Shah stadium in Rajkot. In reply, Hardik Pandya’s 40 and Abhishek Sharma’s 24 were the notable knocks for the hosts as they managed only 145/9 in reply and lost the match.
For India, Varun Chakaravarthy was the stand-out bowler with figures of 4-0-24-5. Chakravarthy also became only the third Indian bowler in Men’s T20Is with multiple five-wicket hauls, after Kuldeep Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Sanjay Manjrekar praised Varun Chakravarthy for his fearless approach and said that Chakravarthy likes challenging batters to attack him, inducing them to play false shots.
“It’s happening very often and a second five-wicket haul is crazy in T20 cricket. And I have talked about the reason for it. He pitches the ball up and was not afraid to do it today (Tuesday) as well. He bowled one up to Jamie Smith, who tonked him for a six and then he bowled a little shorter, but he’s always up there, challenging the batters to go at him,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.
Chakravarthy is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series, having taken 10 wickets from three games at an economy rate of 7.08. He took 3 wickets in the first T20I in Kolkata and picked two in the second match in Chennai.
In Rajkot, he got the wickets of Buttler, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer.
“As they say fortune favors the brave, he’s willing to take that risk and that’s how he gets his wickets. The ball never sort of just pitches and goes straight on. There is always some fikri when the ball is released. He’s a hard man to get away,” Manjrekar added.
India will be looking to return to winning ways in the fourth T20I on January 31 at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
