Varun Chakravarthy. Pic Credits: X

IND vs ENG : Mohammad Kaif Makes Huge Prediction On Varun Chakravarthy After Heroic Performance In 1st T20I

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Former India player Mohammad Kaif has praised leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy after his three wickets in the first T20I against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Mohammad Kaif spoke about Varun Chakravarthy’s variations and his bowling in the middle overs for the Men in Blue and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Kaif called Varun Chakravarthy a complete package.

Mohammad Kaif  predicted that Varun Chakravarthy will be the No.1 bowler in the world in the next ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026. Kaif hailed Varun Chakravarthy for his improved performance.

Varun Chakravarthy’s 3-fer was a chief contribution in India’s thumping win over England

Wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of India’s bowlers in the 1st T20I against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets as England perished for 132. Varun Chakravarthy also dismissed Jos Buttler, who turned out to be the lone warrior for England with a half-century. Besides a three-fer, Varun Chakravarthy also completed 20 wickets in the shortest format.

Varun Chakravarthy’s dream run since his return to the T20I set-up continued as he took three wickets and was named the ‘Player of the Match’ in India’s seven-wicket win over England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the first T20I on Wednesday.

As mentioned, Varun Chakravarthy has now raced past 20 wickets in T20I cricket. In 14 T20Is, the leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy now owns 22 scalps at an incredible average of 16.63. Varun Chakravarthy is one of the few Indian players with a five-wicket haul in the format. Varun Chakravarthy made a strong comeback to the international cricket scene with a three-wicket haul against Bangladesh last year.

Since his return to T20Is and international cricket last year, Varun Chakravarthy has taken 20 wickets in eight T20Is at an average of 11.70, with best figures of 5/17. Varun Chakravarthy took 21 wickets in 15 matches for the Knight Riders in the 17th season. The franchise lifted their third IPL trophy.

India’s opening match of the 2025 T20I series against England was an explosive display of batting and bowling brilliance, with Abhishek Sharma stealing the spotlight. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata witnessed a record-breaking performance that saw India chase down a modest target of 133 with ease, thanks to a fiery 79 from Sharma. As India cruised to a seven-wicket win, the match was highlighted by several top records tumbling, most notably Sharma’s achievement of smashing the most sixes by an Indian in a T20I chase.

Former India player Mohammad Kaif has praised leg-spinner Chakravarthy after his three wickets in the first T20I against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Kaif spoke about his variations and his bowling in the middle overs for the Men in Blue and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Former batter Mohammad Kaif makes huge prediction on Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy after heroic performance in 1st T20I

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has lauded leg-spinner  Chakravarthy following his heroics in the T20I series opener against England in Kolkata. Kaif spoke about the significance of his bowling in the middle order for India and reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), calling him a complete package.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also predicted that Varun will be the World No,.1 bowler in the next T20 World Cup, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

Kaif credited Varun for his tremendous improvement before pointing out his technical prowess. He said on his YouTube channel:

“He’s also the main bower for KKR, he also led them to victory. When KKR won the championship last time, he made a big contribution, always in the middle order. He got a chance to play [for India] at 29, and now he looks like a complete package.

He continued:

“In the next T20 World Cup in India, he’ll be a number-one bowler. It’ll be tough to play against him. It looks like he’ll leave all spinners behind and become the number-one bowler in the Indian team. He’ll only get better.”

“He has shown improvement. Against pace, he used to bowl short, outside the off-stump. Now, his line of attack is on the stumps. Earlier, he used to bowl a lot of googlies but now he has learned leg spin. He has maintained accuracy [to get batters bowled out in between bat and pad]. A big comeback,” Kaif added.

Varun Chakravarthy picked up 21 wickets in 15 matches for the Knight Riders in IPL 2024 season. The franchise lifted their third IPL trophy, their first after 10 years.

Mohammad Kaif lauds India spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s turnaround

While giving the example of  Chakravarthy’s bowling in the series opener against England, Mohammad Kaif further lauded his turnaround after his heartbreak at the 2021 T20 World Cup. He said in the same video:

“He took the wickets of Livingstone, Brook, and Buttler in the last match. He’s learned to take the wickets of key players in the middle overs. It shows that Varun didn’t give up, and never accepted defeat. He was adamant about becoming a better bowler, and felt like, ‘I’ve disappointed Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni (then mentor)’. Had a heartbreak but went forward.”

Varun Chakravarthy’s returned with figures of 3/23 in his four overs against England in the first T20I. The 33-year-old has scalped 20 wickets in eight T20Is since his comeback last year and looks lethal to contribute more in Indian team’s success.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: “Side Arm Specialists In India Need To Work Hard To Prepare Batters For Tough Times”- Abhishek Jain Gives His Invaluable Insights


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