India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said that Varun Chakravarthy felt the pressure to provide a major breakthrough for India in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Varun was arguably India’s best bowler in the tournament, taking nine wickets from four matches at an excellent economy of 6.88.
He will again be expected to rise to the occasion when India begin their Super 8 campaign against South Africa on Sunday, February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Morkel acknowledged that while Chakravarthy has led the attack brilliantly, he will need stronger support from the other bowlers to lighten the workload and maintain effectiveness.
“Obviously he’s been a strike bowler and he’s done really well in the World Cup so far. He’s been a great player for us even before that. But you still need the other bowlers to create pressure and create things for him to be effective,” Morkel told a press conference.
“Sometimes he feels the pressure to break the partnership and give us momentum. It’s important to remind him not to rush things. If he gets the ball at the right pace and in the right areas, things will happen. He’s not alone there,” Morkel added.
HOW HAS VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY BEEN LATELY?
Chakravarthy has been one of India’s most consistent bowlers since his return to T20I cricket at the end of 2024. He is currently on a streak of 17 consecutive T20Is with at least one wicket underlining his reliability with the ball in hand.
Since his comeback, 34-year-old Varun has taken 66 wickets in 32 innings at an impressive economy rate of 7.19, including two five-wicket hauls – a remarkable return for a spinner in the shortest format.
His ability to apply sustained pressure, strike at crucial intervals and control the scoring rate has firmly established him as India’s leading middle-order enforcer.
In the ongoing World Cup, Varun has taken this form to the global stage. He started strongly against Namibia and returned sensational figures of 2-0-7-3 to dismantle the batting line-up.
Against Pakistan, he followed that up with 3-0-17-2 at an economy of 5.67, which played a key role in restricting them to 114. He then produced another incisive spell against the Netherlands, claiming 3-0-14-3 to cap off a dominant group stage run.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
February 20, 2026