While Sanju Samson’s brilliant batting ensured Team India’s place in the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 by defeating West Indies by 195 runs, Varun Chakravarthy was not in form.
After the match, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan explained why Varun Chakraborty had to struggle in most of the matches of T20 World Cup 2026.
Irfan Pathan told why Varun Chakraborty is losing his rhythm.
Pathan felt that whenever Varun performed under a little extra pressure, he lost control of his bowling.
Samson was the architect of India’s much-needed win over West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 1. West Indies, who came to bat first, made a challenging score of 195 runs losing only 4 wickets.
In the format, Indian bowler Varun Chakravarthy was widely considered a mystery spinner. But, in the current tournament, the aura around him started fading as many batsmen scored easily against him.
Against West Indies, Varun Chakraborty gave a total of 40 runs in 4 overs and took only one wicket. In the last three matches, the spinner has taken three wickets but has given away runs at an economy rate of 10.17, which is far from his peak.
Varun Chakraborty will have to find a way to answer: Irfan Pathan
Assessing the star spinner’s recent decline in performance, Pathan said that he feels Varun Chakravarthy will be able to make a great comeback in Kolkata. Pathan’s predictions were proved wrong when the spinner concluded his bowling with only 1 wicket and 40 runs conceded. The former cricketer believed that the spinner was losing control of the length due to pressure.
“For Varun Chakravarthy, I thought he would bounce back on this pitch. However, when he is put under pressure, he seems to lose control at the length that usually works for him. The batsmen are playing him well and reading him properly. So now Varun Chakravarthy has to find a way to respond and find a solution”, Irfan Pathan said in a YouTube video.
Irfan Pathan was impressed by Axar Patel’s bowling against West Indies.
Paradoxically, on the same surface, another spinner, Axar Patel, bowled better than Varun. Patel proved to be the most economical bowler against West Indies last night. In his four-over spell, he maintained an economy rate of 8.75 without taking any wicket. Pathan praised captain Suryakumar Yadav for using Patel effectively.
“At the same time, Axar Patel was also used smartly. Before the left-handers came in, he bowled two overs in the powerplay, which was a very good tactical move”, the World Cup winner said in the same video after his opinion about Chakravarthy’s form.
“In fact, Axar’s economy rate was even better than Bumrah; his economy was the best. If the opposition’s score is 200 and you give only 35 runs in four overs, that too without taking any wicket, then you have done a great job”, Pathan added.
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