Varun has 12 wickets in 7 games in T20 World Cup 2026.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has stated that Varun Chakaravarthy needs to use more variation as batters have seemingly begun to read what he’ll bowl. This comes after Varun has gone for runs in the last three games for India in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 games.
Overall, Varun has taken 12 wickets in 7 games in the T20 World Cup at an economy of 7.66. However, he had picked only three wickets in the Super 8s stage, as batters have read him well and have managed to squeeze runs through the middle overs.
In the last three games, Chakaravarthy's once-bankable four overs have given the Indian team some cause for concern. In his assessment, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif noted that Chakaravarthy tends to become a little anxious under pressure.
“Many batters are now coming prepared, knowing exactly how to plan against him (Varun). That is where a slight problem can arise. I have noticed that when he gets hit for runs, he sometimes shows a bit of panic. You can see it in the way he reacts. Instead of sticking to his natural wicket-to-wicket length, he starts bowling at the pads," said Kaif on his YouTube channel.
Additionally, Kaif noted that Chakaravarthy has relied too much on his googly instead of the traditional leg-spinner. According to him, batters now anticipate the majority of his deliveries and get ready to hit shots appropriately.
“Throughout this World Cup, I feel he has bowled very little leg-spin. He can work on his leg-spin because right now, batsmen are waiting for his googly. Since the ball comes into the stumps, they treat it like an off-spinner and expect it to turn inward. That is why many of them can hit him towards long-on and straight with a full face of the bat,” Kaif observed.
Kaif advised Varun to bowl more leg-spinners and take the ball away from right-handers. He also stated that the spinner should use the googly as a variation instead of bowling it as his stick delivery.
“I think Varun needs to focus more on his leg-spin as well. He can bowl outside the off-stump line with his leg-spin and then bring in the googly as a variation. If he keeps bowling only googlies, batsmen may start reading him better. Instead of targeting the pads, he can attack outside off-stump with leg spin and then surprise them with a googly aimed at the stumps. That could be a smarter plan for Varun,” he further added.
Varun’s form will be crucial for India when they face England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026 on March 5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.