Varun Chakravarthy, the enigmatic spinner, has proven to be a valuable asset for Team India in the shortest format of the game. His exceptional performance in the second T20I at St. Georges Park in Gqeberha was instrumental in India's chances of victory, despite posting a modest total of 124 runs in their 20 overs.
Varun's impressive figures of 5/17 helped India make a strong comeback in the match, reducing the Proteas to 86/7. His experience came to the fore as he dismissed key batsmen like Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller.
Although Gerald Coetzee's aggressive batting delayed India's victory, Varun has been a standout performer in the ongoing series in South Africa. His contribution of 3/25 in the first T20I at Kingsmead in Durban played a crucial role in India's 61-run win.
Varun has now claimed a total of eight wickets in the series at an impressive economy rate of 5.25 runs per over. With just two more wickets, he can surpass Ravichandran Ashwin's record of nine wickets in a T20I bilateral series, set during Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2016.
Ravi Bishnoi equaled Ashwin's record during Australia's T20I tour of India in November-December 2023, taking eight wickets in the series. As the series against South Africa continues, Varun has a realistic chance of breaking this record with two more T20Is remaining.
The third T20I between India and South Africa is scheduled for Wednesday (November 13) at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Varun's exceptional form has undoubtedly made him a key player to watch in the upcoming matches.
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