Varun Chakaravarthy was the joint-highest wicket taker in T20 World Cup 2026 with 14 scalps.
Even though Varun picked 14 wickets, his economy rate of 9.25 was a little high by his own excellent standards. It was significantly higher than his career economy rate of 7.55, and even Varun admitted that the conditions were challenging for him.
“These are super batter-friendly wickets, so it was a little challenging for me. But on the other hand, I was able to pick up wickets here and there, which was crucial for my side,” Varun said, adding that the World Cup triumph was the most memorable moment of his career.
Varun had a terrible time in crucial matches for India, going at an economy rate of 10, 16, and 13 against the West Indies, England in the semis, and New Zealand in the final, respectively.
Varun will be eager to regain his peak form when India starts preparing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, with Kuldeep Yadav waiting in the wings and other wrist-spinners also knocking on doors.
One of India's best off-spinners, Harbhajan Singh, thinks Varun will recover more powerfully. He recalled seeing Varun bowl for the first time in CSK nets in IPL 2018 and being impressed by him.
“First things first, he is a champion bowler. I first saw him at the Chennai Super Kings nets in 2018, where he was a practice bowler. I told the CSK management to pick him straight away—which they didn’t—because even then he was often unplayable in the nets,” Harbhajan told Times of India.
Harbhajan felt that one thing that troubled Varun in this World Cup was the way batters handled him off the back foot. Harbhajan also spoke on the notion that Varun is a mystery bowler.
“Normally, Varun gets batters out for fun when they try shots off the back foot. But in this World Cup, he has gone for runs, and that might be because he erred slightly in length,” Harbhajan said.
“In modern-day cricket, there are no mysteries. When it comes to top players, people often know what the next ball will be. Everyone knew Dale Steyn’s best delivery was the outswinger, but did that make him easy to face? It’s a battle of execution between the batter and the bowler. If the bowler gets it right, he will be successful,” he added.
Anil Kumble had a similar situation at one point in his career, but the famous leg-spinner handled it quickly. Harbhajan stated that Kumble's greatest strength was his ability to overcome self-doubt.
“Anil bhai’s height allowed him to extract bounce, and his biggest plus was that he could bowl all day at the same spot. That’s a rare quality. Varun can certainly refer to the Kumble playbook,” Harbhajan stated.
He suggested that practicing with a single stump could help improve accuracy.
“That was something I used to do a lot, and it helped me,” added the off-spinner.
While Varun's main weapon remains his googly, Harbhajan believes it would be beneficial if the KKR spinner focused more on his delivery that goes away from right-handers.
“Variation is important. If he gets that delivery right, batters won’t be able to premeditate against him. Varun will get some time now and can try these things in the IPL. I know he is mentally strong, and I have full faith that he will continue to play a key role in India’s quest for more T20 success,” Harbhajan concluded.
Varun will now be in action for KKR in the IPL 2026 that begins on March 28.
(Times of India inputs)