NEW DELHI: For the first half of the T20 World Cup, Varun Chakravarthy looked like India’s biggest weapon with the ball. He was hitting the right notes, batters were struggling to read him and the wickets followed. But as the tournament has progressed, the mystery spinner’s control has slipped. With his lengths going astray and runs flowing freely, his dip in form is an alarming sign for India ahead of the final against New Zealand, to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.That concern grew after what happened in the semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium. The red soil pitch should ideally have suited the spinner, instead he went for plenty. His bowling figures read 4-0-64-1. Varun struggled to find the right length and it appeared that his confidence had also taken a beating, which is an area of concern for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir.
With 13 wickets to his name, Varun is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker of the 2026 T20 World Cup. In the first four matches, he picked up nine wickets with an impressive economy rate of 5.17. In the last four games, he has leaked runs at an economy rate of 11.63 while picking up just four wickets.Overall, Varun has been hard to go after when he has pitched the ball in the good length area while trying to attack the stumps. In 118 balls where he has hit that good length, he has conceded only 128 runs at an economy rate of 6.50 and also picked up 10 wickets. Whenever he has gone full or bowled short, basically when he has erred in hitting that 5 to 6 metre length, he has bowled bled runs. In the 27 balls where he has attempted to bowl full, he has conceded 66 runs at an economy rate of 14.66. The short of good length area has cost him 50 runs off 22 balls at 13.63.
Varun Chakaravarthy of India celebrates the wicket of Abrar Ahmed of Pakistan during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between India and Pakistan at R. Premadasa Stadium on February 15, 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The good phase
Now let us divide Varun’s numbers into two phases, pre-South Africa and post.Before India’s first Super Eight match against South Africa, Varun was a batter’s nightmare. He bowled 51 balls in that good length area and conceded only 37 runs and picked up seven wickets. Even the fuller and shorter lengths did not cost him much, and his economy rates read 7 and 5.25, respectively.After the Namibia match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where he picked up 3 for 7 in two overs, Varun had spoken about his new variations and the ones he was working on.“I have worked on my overspin rather than sidespin and more speed and zip off the wicket,” he told reporters in the ICC mixed zone.“I have been working on a few things, but that has been my process all along. I have always had some deliveries coming up, so I will always have something coming up. But it is up to me. It is actually about whether I am courageous enough to try it in the next match, but it depends.
Varun Chakravarthy of India bowls during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between India and Namibia at Arun Jaitley Stadium on February 12, 2026 in Delhi, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
“There are a few balls that just clicked for me in the matches and there have been a few variations which I have been trying for the last six years that did not come out earlier. So it just depends on the complexity of the delivery,” he added.It is also worth noting that in the group stage India had played three Associate teams – USA, Namibia and the Netherlands. The match against Pakistan, in Colombo, was played on a two paced surface.
The flat phase
In the first four games, Varun’s bowling figures were 1/24 against USA, 3/7 against Namibia, 2/17 against Pakistan and 3/14 against Netherlands. In the next four matches, his figures read 1/47 against South Africa, 1/35 against Zimbabwe, 1/40 against West Indies and, most recently, 1/64 against England.In the 96 balls Varun bowled in the three Super Eight matches and the semi-final, he conceded 186 runs and picked up four wickets. Out of those four wickets, three came when he tried to hit the stumps from a good length. He conceded 91 runs off 67 balls at an economy rate of 8.14. Meanwhile, in the 29 deliveries where he tried something different by bowling fuller or shorter, he was sent for plenty. In 15 full deliveries, Varun conceded 52 runs, and in 14 shorter length balls he leaked 43 runs.
Varun Chakravarthy of India unsuccessfully appeals for the LBW of Rovman Powell of West Indies during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 01, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Bethell storm hits Varun
England came prepared against Chakravarthy and he was not allowed to settle into any rhythm by centurion Jacob Bethell, who smashed him for three sixes in his opening spell. Chakravarthy was guilty of bowling either too short or too full. Bethell smashed Chakravarthy for 42 runs off just 13 balls on his way to a special hundred, albeit it couldn’t steer them into the final.On the eve of the contest at the Wankhede Stadium, former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik, replying to a TimesofIndia.com query during a JioStar media day, had said that Varun had shortened his length to extract more bounce. Karthik had expected Varun to do well at the Wankhede.“First up, statistics tell you that Varun has shortened his length. When somebody shortens their length, you need to understand why they could have done it. It could also mean that he has bowled a couple of fuller balls which have gone for boundaries. In trying to readjust his length and pull it back, he has probably gone shorter.
Jacob Bethell of England bats during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Semi-Final match between India and England at Wankhede Stadium on March 05, 2026 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)
“So with Varun, the fact that he has been playing on pitches that probably did not have as much bounce means that at times he has gone slightly shorter to try and get the ball to bounce up. Or probably he has bowled so much on the stumps and wants to attack them a lot more,” said Karthik.“He has tried to pull the length back a bit because people tend to play what is called a step hit from the crease. So maybe he has gone slightly shorter to avoid getting step hit. But yes, can he bowl a little fuller and challenge the batter? I feel he is very capable of doing it. Has he gone slightly shorter? Statistics do tell you that he has pulled his length back a bit,” he added.
Still a trump card?
After the 2024 T20 World Cup, when Gambhir took charge, Varun found a new lease of life. Under Surya and Gambhir, he emerged as India’s trump card and has picked up 70 wickets in 38 matches so far. He was also instrumental in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy triumph, where he picked up nine wickets in three games.Meanwhile, India vice-captain Axar Patel has defended the under fire world number one bowler.“We have talked about it. We have played a lot of knockout games at this moment, so it is very important to have the right mindset. Yes, there is skill and everything, but what we tell him is that when you go for runs, do not change your plan even if the batter is targeting you,” Axar said in the mixed zone.
Varun Chakravarthy of India celebrates the wicket of Shai Hope of West Indies during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 01, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
“You have a plan to put the ball on the stumps first, and then suddenly you change the line. Yes, there could be mistakes in pressure situations. We keep telling him that he is the X factor and that he should trust himself. When it comes to bowling, it is all about confidence.“If you look at it, even after being hit for a few sixes, he got the wicket of Jos Buttler. He is the number one T20 bowler and he knows what he is doing. It is a matter of mindset. We have one more match and maybe he will deliver a match winning performance in the final,” added Axar.
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Varun’s dip in form may have raised questions, but he is no stranger to bouncing back from difficult times. The 34-year-old has built his career on resilience and has often found ways to respond when the pressure is at its peak. The final now offers him that opportunity.Against a formidable New Zealand side, India will look to their mystery spinner not just for wickets but also for control in the middle overs. If Chakravarthy can rediscover his rhythm and trust his plans, Sunday night could yet become the stage for another compelling comeback story.
