Varun Chakravarthy took five wickets for 17 runs, getting all the big scalps including Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in 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 competition. He arrived and turned the game around with his supreme variants.
He took five wickets for 17 runs, getting all the big scalps including Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in consecutive deliveries. He was judicious with his use of variations and brilliantly shuffled his lines and lengths to keep the batsmen guessing.
When he came to bowl, South Africa were going well in a low chase but Varun wasted no time dismissing Aiden Markram in the second delivery of his spell. That unleashed a procession of wickets as Varun kept sending batsmen back in quick succession.
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He took at least one wicket at every step of his spell, and his variations were unpickable for the South African batsmen, who kept crossing the line, only to lose their wickets. It was a remarkable effort from Varun, who single-handedly kept India in the game when nothing seemed to be going right against a strong batting line-up from South Africa, who are relatively better spin players.
Varun Chakravarthy continues to rise through the ranks on his comeback
Varun Chakravarthy’s comeback began in IPL 2023 when he took 20 wickets at an average of 21.45, including a four-wicket haul. He then 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 was not selected for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe right after the 2024 T20 World Cup, Varun took to his Instagram account to express his frustration. “I wish I had a paid PR agency!!!!!” Varun wrote on his Instagram story.
When his moment finally came, he took it with both hands. He was selected for the Bangladesh series and finished it as the joint leading wicket-taker (5) with an average of 14.60 in three innings.
Varun has maintained his form in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa and has 8 wickets at 5.25 runs each in two games. While India did not win the second T20I against South Africa, Varun’s spell was clearly among the best ever by an Indian bowler in the format.
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