Varun Chakravarthy, 34-year-old spinner from India, has described his T20 World Cup 2026 preparations, highlighting mental toughness, self-imposed pressure, and steady performance.
Chakravarthy's recent form has drawn a lot of attention from both fans and commentators as India prepares for the last T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad on December 19.
A key player in India's T20 World Cup defense, Chakravarthy has taken 51 wickets in 32 T20Is, including six in the current five-match series against South Africa.
With the T20 World Cup set to take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, focus is now shifting to the team's preparedness. The Chennai spinner talked about the need to continuously challenge oneself in the lead-up to important competitions.
“It is very important to keep putting pressure on yourself to get ready for the World Cup. You have to challenge yourself even when there is no challenge. If a match feels easy, you have to create that pressure mentally and start challenging yourself,” Varun said on 'Follow The Blues' on JioHotStar.
Chakravarthy's strategy focuses on correctness, confidence, and opposition analysis.
“Confidence, bowling the right lengths, and understanding the opposition are key. That is one major factor I want to take into the World Cup. With a better understanding of the opposition, I think I can do well,” he added.
Chakravarthy said that concentrating on his strengths has supported his accomplishments in light of his recent success in international cricket. According to Chakravarthy, the secret to his recent success has been to adhere to the fundamentals and have faith in his skill set.
“My plan is simple: stick to the basics and bowl my length. Sometimes it works, and thankfully in the last three matches, it has worked well. I will try the same in the next match,” he said.
He further commented on the importance of confidence to maintain high performance.
“When you are not confident, your mindset affects your skill. The key is to stay confident and back your skills. That is when you execute well, without much change. That is the secret to being consistent,” he stated.
Chakravarthy highlighted the value of top-level experience and adaptation.
“At this level, you must be consistent; playing at the highest level is important to know where you stand. In my first match at the international level, I struggled a bit initially, and that’s when I understood a few things. I went back to practice and made corrections. So, it is very important to keep playing at the highest level,” Chakaravarthy stated.
The five-T20I series between India and South Africa is 2-1 in the hosts’ favor.
