Former India opener Aakash Chopra voiced his concern about the Indian team not utilizing Varun Chakaravarthy for a full four overs during the T20 World Cup 2026. This comment came after Chakaravarthy bowled only three overs against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 18.
Chakaravarthy played a key role in the Netherlands’ innings, as they chased a challenging target of 194 runs. India won by 17 runs, with Chakaravarthy achieving impressive figures of 3/14 in his three overs. He took the wickets of Max O’Dowd, Colin Ackermann, and Aryan Dutt, with Ackermann and Dutt being dismissed in consecutive deliveries.
Chakaravarthy bowled his complete four overs only in India’s first match of the World Cup against the USA. In the next game against Namibia, he bowled two overs but still picked up three wickets. He has bowled three overs in his last two matches against Pakistan and the Netherlands.
“It’s surprising that Varun isn’t finishing his overs. He has only bowled all 4 once. He could have easily taken at least one five-wicket haul if he finished. He will be one of the key bowlers along with Boom in the next round,” Chopra mentioned on his official ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) account.
