Varun Chakravarthy took five wickets for 17 runs, getting all big scalps, including Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller on consecutive deliveries.
Varun Chakravarthy wreaked havoc with the ball in the second T20I against South Africa and bowled a magnificent spell to bring India back into the contest. He came and turned the game on its head with his supreme variations.
He took five wickets for 17 runs, getting all big scalps, including Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller on consecutive deliveries. He was prudent with his use of variations and brilliantly shuffled his lines and lengths to keep the batters guessing.
When he came to bowl, South Africa were going well in a low chase, but Varun wasted no time and dismissed Aiden Markram on the second delivery of his spell. That unleashed a procession of wickets as Varun kept sending batters back in quick succession.
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He took at least one wicket in each over of his spell, and his variations were impossible to pick for South African batters, who kept swinging across the line, only to lose their wickets. It was a remarkable effort from Varun, who singlehandedly kept India in the game when nothing seemed to be going their way against a strong batting lineup of South Africa, who are relatively better players of spin.
Varun Chakravarthy keeps rising through the ranks in his comeback
Varun Chakravarthy’s comeback started in IPL 2023 when he took 20 wickets at an average of 21.45, including a four-wicket haul. Then, he played a crucial role in making Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) champions in 2024, with 21 wickets at 19.14 runs apiece, the most by a KKR bowler in the season.
When he wasn’t selected for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe right after the T20 World Cup 2024, Varun took to his Instagram account to vent his frustration. “I wish I had a paid PR agency!!!!!!” wrote Varun on his Instagram story.
When his time finally came, he took it with both hands. He was selected for the Bangladesh series and ended it as the joint-leading wicket-taker (5) at an average of 14.60 in three innings.
Varun has carried his form in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa and has 8 wickets at 5.25 runs apiece in two games. While India didn’t win the second T20I against South Africa, Varun’s spell was clearly among the finest ever by an Indian bowler in the format.
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