Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has given a big statement regarding out-of-form spinner Varun Chakraborty. After India’s thrilling win over England in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals, Pathan said that the Tamil Nadu bowler should stay away from the practice sessions before the final.
The Men in Blue secured a close win by seven runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. Varun suffered a very poor performance with the ball. The 34-year-old bowler recorded his worst bowling performance in T20 Internationals, conceding 64 runs in his four overs while taking just one wicket.
I think his confidence is decreasing – Irfan Pathan on Varun Chakraborty
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan advised the team management to give Varun Chakravarthy a break. Pathan said that two days’ rest away from the cricket field will help Varun reset his mindset before the final match.
Pathan said, “It will be very important how quickly we can get Varun Chakravarthy back in a better mental state. I think his confidence is going down. If I was in the Indian team camp, I would ensure that not many people talk to him for the next two days.”
He said, “I won’t even let him come on the field. If I am supporting him and planning to feed him, I will keep him away from the field and let him come on the field straight on the day of the final. I will completely switch off his mind for two days and try to bring him towards positivity. But I will not make him practice.”
So just leave Varun Chakraborty alone for two days – Irfan Pathan
In the same video, the former Indian fast bowler pointed out a major flaw in Varun Chakravarthy’s current training methods. Pathan said that the spinners have been practicing short-pitched balls. He insisted that skipping the training session was the most logical step right now.
“Tell me, what difference will practicing just a day make? He is anyway practicing regularly, but it seems like the practice is not going in the right direction. He is practicing short balls, which is not really his strength,” Pathan said.
“At the moment, it looks like his confidence is going down. So just leave him alone for two days. Let him come and perform on the day of the final. That will be the expectation. The team management will definitely think what to do with him, but I would say don’t make him practice. That’s my thinking.”
Varun Chakravarthy struggles for form ahead of T20 World Cup 2026 final
During the semi-finals, Varun Chakravarthy only managed to dismiss dangerous player Jos Buttler for 25 runs, but struggled against the other English batsmen. He set the record for the second highest number of runs conceded by an Indian bowler in a T20 match.
Varun entered the tournament as the world No. 1-ranked T20I bowler. He took nine wickets in his first four group stage matches. However, the spinner’s form has declined since the start of the Super Eights stage.
The mystery spinner is clocking an economy rate of over 10 in each of his last four matches. So far in the World Cup, Varun has taken 13 wickets in eight matches at an average of 19.07 and economy rate of 8.85.
Overall, he has taken 72 wickets in 44 T20Is at an impressive average of 16.30 and a strong economy rate of 7.45. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will hope to regain their form against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.
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