Varun Chakravarthy's ultimate test: Is the spin chakravyuh finally cracking?

It was just after the India vs the Netherlands game that Kris Srikkanth called Varun Chakravarthy a modern-day T20I great. He even went on to say that he was more lethal than Jasprit Bumrah in the shortest format of the game. And the stats were there for everyone to see.

After picking up three wickets against the Dutch in his three overs for just 14 runs, Varun was leading Bumrah 30-22 in the 21 matches they had played together. Since his sensational return to the Indian T20I side in October 2024, the mystery spinner has picked up the most wickets for India in the format, with 69 wickets in 37 matches at an average of 14.17 and an economy rate just above 7.

Yet, once the Super 8 stage started, the 'Chakravuyuh' seemed to show cracks. He conceded 47 runs in four overs against South Africa.

Things improved slightly against Zimbabwe, but Brian Bennett and Sikandar Raza were able to tackle him, and the spinner conceded 35 runs at his home ground in Chennai. He did pick up one wicket, and there was hope that he would improve against the West Indies.

Varun started well in Kolkata, his second home, dismissing Shai Hope. But things fell apart.

He conceded 40 runs in four overs, and Varun's form is now a major concern going into the England game.

WHAT IS GOING WRONG?

One of the things that made Varun successful when he returned to the Indian team in 2024 was how well he bowled his leg-spin, along with a well-disguised googly.

He began bowling his leg-spinner with a traditional seam position and plenty of overspin.

"When Varun came on, he bowled quite a few carrom balls, but after a point it didn't deviate away [from the right-hand batter] much," his coach Prathiban told ESPNcricinfo in 2025. "So we worked on the legspin, and to make the googly - which is his best ball - lethal, we wanted to perfect the away-going legbreak."

Yet, it seems Varun has deviated from his main strength. Mohammed Kaif pointed out that the spinner has bowled very little leg-spin during the ongoing tournament, and batters are now prepared for his googly.

"Throughout this World Cup, I feel he has bowled very little leg-spin. He can work on his leg-spin because right now batsmen are waiting for his googly. Since the ball comes into the stumps, they treat it like an off-spinner and expect it to turn inward. That is why many of them are able to hit him towards long-on and straight with a full face of the bat," said Kaif.

Another issue has been players using the step-hit against Varun, where they avoid excessive foot movement and attack him directly. They plant the front foot and attempt to hit him straight down the ground for sixes.

David Miller and Dewald Brevis executed this expertly in Ahmedabad. Brevis struck him from 4.9m and Miller from 5.3m, and Varun leaked runs. In fact, 20 of the 60 sixes he has conceded in his career have come in the last 10 games.

Varun is also known to panic slightly when he is leaking runs. Those who have followed him at KKR have seen him resort to the short ball frequently or stray onto the pads when under pressure.

"Many batters are now coming prepared, knowing exactly how to plan against him (Varun). That is where a slight problem can arise. I have noticed that when he gets hit for runs, he sometimes shows a bit of panic. You can see it in the way he reacts. Instead of sticking to his natural wicket-to-wicket length, he starts bowling at the pads," said Kaif.

HOPE AGAINST ENGLAND?

Now the bus rolls on to Mumbai and England. While many have wondered if India should opt for Kuldeep Yadav, Laxmipathy Balaji was one of the experts who backed Varun for the England clash.

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"Unfortunately, there is no place for Kuldeep. Who will you drop for him? I would love to have him, but there is no place. I cannot drop Varun for him. He has been a key. Even though he has gone for runs, I will definitely back Varun. Wankhede is a tough place for spinners with short boundaries," said Balaji.

There is good reason for that. Of all the teams he has faced in his career, the spinner has picked up 14 wickets in five matches against England at an average of 9.85. To put it into context, it is his second-best record against a Full Member side after South Africa.

Despite Wankhede being a small ground, Varun has performed well there in the IPL, with seven wickets in as many games at an economy rate of 6.22.

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India bowling coach Morne Morkel spent an extended time with Varun on the eve of the game. While he said it was a normal session for the spinner, he also felt that Varun is someone who can pick up a wicket in almost every delivery.

Morkel also believes that, at times, Varun puts extra pressure on himself to be the match-winner.

"It's a tricky question to answer here now. I mean, obviously, I can't reveal his process, but I keep on telling him that in our bowling lineup, with the skill and variation Varun's got, he's got the ability to take a wicket almost every ball. So if the boundary or if he goes for a boundary or the ball, he's not executed as well as possible."

"For him, it's just to move on to the next one and make sure he commits to that next ball. I think he's a highly skilful guy, hard to pick once you walk into the crease. So for him it's just about getting that confidence with the ball, getting his speed, his length, control right and not trying to overthink it."

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"I think with Varun at times, To his credit, he wants to be a big performer for the team, so he'll put a little bit of pressure on himself. But, yeah, he's a match winner for us, and for him it's just to stay and bowl every ball and make sure it's his best ball," said Morkel.

When India step onto the field on March 5 at the Wankhede, they will need Varun to be back to his best. Maybe, for the spinner, it is simply about returning to what has always worked for him.

And sometimes, it may just be about trusting his record against the opponent and sticking to his strengths.

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