Varun Chakravarthy has been out of form since the Super 8 stage.
India have a Varun Chakravarthy problem, which has been exacerbating with each passing T20 World Cup 2026 game. He started the tournament on a high note, but his form has tapered off from the Super 8 stage and reached an all-time low in the semifinal clash against England last night.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has explained that Varun’s confidence has taken a major hit, but the spinner should play the summit clash. On his YouTube channel, Pathan suggested that the Indian team should allow Varun Chakravarthy to spend some time alone and keep him away from training sessions, which would help him calm down and get in the right frame of mind.
“If I were in the Indian team camp, I would make sure that for the next two days, not many people talk to him (Varun). I would not even let him come to the ground. If I am backing him and planning to play him, then I would keep him away from the ground and let him come directly on the day of the final. I would completely switch his mind off for two days and try to bring him towards positivity. But I would not make him practice.”
Since the start of the Super 8 stage, the ace spinner has just four wickets at an abysmal average of 46.50 and an economy rate of 11.62 across four innings. Last night, Varun registered his career-worst figures, conceding 64 runs at 16 runs per over and as many as 11 boundaries in four overs.
Varun Chakravarthy will need to reverse his form and put on another solid bowling show at the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. The Kiwis are among the best players of spin, with the middle order of Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, and Daryl Mitchell capable of handling them easily.
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Even Tim Seifert at the top has improved massively, while Finn Allen won’t have too many issues on flat surfaces either. Hence, they will put Axar Patel under pressure, especially since they have a couple of quality LHBs in the middle, and India will bank on Varun to step up.
Usually, he understands how to construct his overs, but recent hitting has not only dented his confidence but also taken away his ability to bowl tighter lengths. Varun has been guilty of bowling too short when put under pressure in the tournament, which is the biggest reason why he has been expensive.
The pitch in Ahmedabad will offer some extra bounce, and Varun must bowl his hard lengths on the stumps straight away to keep the pressure going. But for that to happen, he must clear his mind and come up with a plan that reaped him success before.
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