Varun Chakravarthy of India celebrates with his teammates after dismissing Jose Buttler of England during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India v Sri Lanka 2026 semi-final match between India and England at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images) NEW DELHI: In the first half of the T20 World Cup, Varun Chakravarthy looked like India’s biggest weapon with the ball. He hit the right notes, the batsmen struggled to read him and the wickets followed. But as the tournament progressed, control of the mystery spinner slipped. With his lengths slipping and runs flowing freely, his dip in form is an alarming sign for India ahead of the final against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.These concerns have grown after what happened in the semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium. The red land spacing should ideally suit the spinner, instead he went for a lot. His bowling figures were 4-0-64-1. Varun struggled to find the right length and his confidence also seemed to have taken a beating, an area of concern for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir.
Childhood friend Suryakumar Yadav is backing him to win the World Cup for India
With 13 wickets to his name, Varun is currently the joint leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2026. He has picked up nine wickets in the first four matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.17. He has conceded runs at an economy rate of 11.63 in his last four matches, taking just four wickets.All in all it was a tough go for Varun as he bowled the ball in the good length region and tried to attack the stumps. In 118 balls where he hit such a good length, he conceded only 128 runs at an economy rate of 6.50 and also picked up 10 wickets. Whenever he went full or bowled short, basically when he missed a hit of 5-6 meters, he went on a bloody run. In the 27 balls he attempted a full over, he conceded 66 runs at an economy rate of 14.66. A short area of good length cost him 50 runs off 22 balls at 13.63.
Varun Chakaravarthy of India celebrates the wicket of Abrar Ahmed of Pakistan during the ICC T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium on February 15, 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Good phase
Now let’s divide Varun’s numbers into two phases, pre-South Africa and post.Ahead of India’s first Super Eight match against South Africa, Varun was a batter’s nightmare. In this good length area, he bowled 51 balls and conceded just 37 runs, picking up seven wickets. Even the fuller and shorter lengths did not cost him much, and his economy rates were 7 and 5.25, respectively.After Namibia’s match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where he took 3 for 7 in two overs, Varun spoke about his new variations and the ones he has been working on.“I’ve been working on my overspin rather than sidespin and more speed and off the wicket,” he told reporters at the ICC mixed zone.“I’ve been working on a few things, but that’s been my process the whole time. I’ve always had some deliveries coming in, so I’m always going to do something. But it’s up to me. It’s really about whether I’m brave enough to try it in the next game, but it depends.”
Varun Chakravarthy of India bowls during the ICC T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between India and Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on February 12, 2026 in Delhi, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
“There are a few balls that have just clicked for me in matches and there have been a few variations that I’ve tried over the last six years that haven’t come out before. So it just depends on the complexity of the delivery,” he added.It is also worth noting that in the group stage, India played three associated teams – USA, Namibia and Netherlands. The match against Pakistan in Colombo was played on a two-speed surface.
Flat phase
In the first four games, Varun’s bowling figures were 1/24 against USA, 3/7 against Namibia, 2/17 against Pakistan and 3/14 against Netherlands. In the next four matches, his figures were 1/47 against South Africa, 1/35 against Zimbabwe, 1/40 against West Indies and most recently 1/64 against England.In the 96 balls that Varun played in the three matches of the Super Eight and the semi-final, he conceded 186 runs and took four wickets. Of those four wickets, three came when he tried to hit the stumps from a good length. He conceded 91 runs off 67 balls at an economy rate of 8.14. Meanwhile, in 29 deliveries where he tried something different, bowling fuller or shorter, he was sent for plenty. In 15 full deliveries, Varun conceded 52 runs and conceded 43 runs in 14 shorter balls.
India’s Varun Chakravarthy makes an unsuccessful appeal for West Indies’ Rovman Powell’s LBW during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 1, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Storm Bethell hits Varun
England were ready against Chakravarthy and centurion Jacob Bethell didn’t allow him to settle into any rhythm, smashing him for three sixes in his opening spell. Chakravarthy was guilty of bowling either too short or too full. Bethell smashed Chakravarthy for 42 as he ran out in just 13 balls on his way to a special hundred, though it couldn’t steer them to the final.On the eve of the match at the Wankhede Stadium, former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik, responding to a query from TimesofIndia.com during JioStar’s media day, said that Varun had shortened his length to get more bounce. Karthik expected Varun to do well at the Wankhede.“Firstly, the stats tell you that Varun shortened his length. When someone shortens his length, you have to understand why he might have done that. It could also mean he bowled a couple of fuller balls that went outside the boundary. He probably shortened in trying to adjust his length and pull it back.”
Jacob Bethell of England bats during the semi-final match between India and England of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India v Sri Lanka 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
“So with Varun, the fact that he’s played on pitches that probably didn’t have as much bounce means he’s gone a bit shorter at times to try and get the ball to bounce. Or he’s probably been rolling on the stumps so much and he wants to attack them a lot more,” Karthik said.“He’s tried to cut the length down a little bit because people tend to play what’s called a step shot from the crease. So maybe he’s shortened a little bit so he doesn’t get into the stride. But yeah, can he throw a little fuller and challenge the batter? I feel like he’s very capable of that. Has he shortened a little bit? The stats tell you he’s shortened his length a little bit,” he added.
Still trump?
After the T20 World Cup in 2024, when Gambhir took over, Varun found a new lease of life. He has emerged as India’s trump card under Surya and Gambhir, picking up 70 wickets in 38 matches so far. He also featured in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy triumph, taking nine wickets in three matches.Meanwhile, India’s vice-captain Axar Patel defended the world number one bowler under fire.“We’ve talked about it. We’ve played a lot of knock-out games at the moment, so it’s very important to have the right mindset. Yes, there’s skill and everything, but what we’re telling him is that when you go for a run, don’t change your plan even if you’re being bowled at,” Axar said in the mixed zone.
Varun Chakravarthy of India celebrates the wicket of Shai Hope of West Indies during the ICC T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 1, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
“You plan to put the ball on the stumps first and then suddenly change the line. Yes, mistakes can happen in pressure situations. We keep telling him that he is the X-factor and he should believe in himself. It’s all about confidence when it comes to bowling.”“If you look at it, even after hitting a couple of sixes, he got the wicket of Jose Buttler. He’s the number one T20 bowler and he knows what he’s doing. It’s a mindset thing. We’ve got one more match and he might deliver a match-winning performance in the final,” added Axar.
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Varun’s dip in form may have raised questions, but he is no stranger to bouncing back in tough times. The 34-year-old has built his career on resilience and has often found ways to respond when the pressure is on. The final now offers him this option.Against a formidable New Zealand side, India will look to their mystery spinner not only for wickets but also for control in the middle overs. If Chakravarthy can rediscover his rhythm and trust his plans, Sunday night could yet be the stage for another impressive comeback story.
