Most countries have now announced their respective 15-member squads for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. India have done so a week earlier. The thrust, may I say, has been on spin. Australia have focused on the same and the CA post on X highlighted the thought process. The question to ask is do we in India have the spin bowling ability to win us the World Cup and how effective will spin be in the competition?
One of the players who has kind of slipped under the radar in the year 2025 despite making real impact is Varun Chakravarthy. Varun, on wickets that are tired at the end of the season, could be the match-winner for India. Having seen Varun from up-close, the one thing that stands out in him is his obsessiveness. The quest for excellence if we want to put it more bluntly.
Let me give you an example from the Asia Cup. It was unbearably hot in Dubai in September and India had an optional practice on one of the days. The only bowler to turn up was Varun. He kept bowling at the nets and there was a degree of relentlessness in his pursuit. A sort of trance that was fascinating to watch. Having seen adversity and having been discarded for a while, Varun values success and knows what it takes to get there. He may not be as flamboyant as some of his other colleagues, but his ability to work hard is less to none.
The best part about Varun is his ability to bowl at any point in an innings. He can handle the powerplay, the middle-overs and is as good at the death. If the batters come hard at him, it isn’t an issue either. Varun chases wickets and that’s what makes him a hugely relevant cog in the Indian wheel going into the T20 World Cup.
I have had many interactions with Varun in 2025 and what impressed me the most is his rootedness. He understands his limitations and works the hardest to overcome them. For example, he wasn’t the most agile on the field. Still isn’t. To make up for it, he will do the extra drill and take the extra few catches in every fielding session. During off season when the focus is on red-ball cricket, Varun works on his repertoire and sharpens the weapons he has. The quest is always to get better and yet stay rooted.
I remember Varun being included in the Indian squad for the 2021 World Cup in UAE. He was touted as the big thing but failed to deliver. Things did not go his way and he was trolled viciously for days and weeks on end. It hardened him and made him the cricketer he is today. The deep-seated drive to redeem has brought him this far. The T20 World Cup is the final home stretch. With Varun in rhythm, India will know they always have a wicket around the corner, and for Suryakumar Yadav and his boys that’s a huge security to have.
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