Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin reckons many teams have started to pick Varun Chakravarthy, which has led to the dip in his form. Ashwin had warned India not to expose the mystery spinner in the bilateral series.
The mystery spinner returned with figures of 1-40 in his quota of four overs against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday. Earlier, Chakravarthy returned with expensive figures of 1-47 in his four overs against South Africa. He bagged 1-35 against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 clash.
Meanwhile, Chakravarthy was at his best in the five-match T20I series against England in 2025 as he had scalped 14 wickets.
“I had told before itself that we must not expose Varun too much in bilaterals. I think many teams are picking him and it is only a matter of time before people start picking anybody. There can never be a bowler in the world that any batter will never pick at all in their lifetime. They also want to win. But we need not worry about Varun. He can breathe slightly easy as England were not picking him in the bilateral series as well,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Ashwin said it would be crucial for Varun to get away with his overs if English batters take the attack against him.
“If Varun gets off to a good start, then it is no problem. If he knows they are taking him on, it is his job to get a bit defensive and get away with his overs there. He must bowl shut-down balls where the intent itself is to give just singles. This is the difference between good and great. You will learn all this on the go,” he explained.
The former off-spinner said Chakravarthy will need to be tactical with his bowling and he must come up with the right preparation against England.
“When batters start reading you, you must play tactically. You can counter pressure with good preparation. He will have to be tactical and very clinical. Try to bowl and just give 25 runs in four overs in a game. I think Varun has all the requisites. He just needs some shakeups and to be tactically smart,” Ashwin added.
India will take on England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday.
