Varun Chakaravarthy starred with the ball in India’s 44-run victory over New Zealand in their final group-stage match of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (March 2).

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 the game, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh claimed that the 'magic portion' in Chakaravarthy's bowling lies in the fact that he hasn't played a lot of international cricket and batters are failing to read him off the hand.

Harbhajan also hoped that Varun’s good run will continue in the knockout-stage of the Champions Trophy 2025.

"See, the magic portion is he's not played much cricket. That is number one. People don't know much about him, what he brings onto the table, and his arm speed is quite fast, and people are not watching his hand, which way the ball is spinning. People are trying to read him after pitching the ball, which is a very difficult thing. For any batter to do that, you have to see the hand, how the spinners are bowling, and what variation it is coming towards you, rather than picking, picking it up from the length," Harbhajan said while speaking to India Today.

"So that's where, you know, the New Zealanders have made that mistake, not looking at his hand. And he's one of those bowlers, full of confidence, and he took a lot of wickets against England. And good to see him getting this game and contributing to India's success, and I hope that he'll continue even in the semis and also in the finals," he added.

Harbhajan further opined that India should stick with the same team combination, fielding four spinners in the semi-final and potentially, the final of the eight-team tournament.

"We have seen what spinners can do on this wicket. 4 spinners against Australia. I definitely feel that this should be the team going forward. Whether Australia or South Africa come in the final, whatever team you meet in the final, or even if New Zealand come in the final, the same team should be carried forward and spinners will be key. People who play spin better and people who bowl well in terms of spin, will win most of their matches here on this ground. I think spinners will be key and India made the right choice by picking 4 spinners, and that should be the way forward," Harbhajan remarked.

India will face Australia in the first semi-final of the competition at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (March 4).