Subramaniam Badrinath, a former India and CSK batsman, has made a stunning claim: mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is currently a better bowler than Jasprit Bumrah in T20Is.
The announcement came following the conclusion of India’s five-match series against Australia, which the visitors won 2-1.
Badrinath believes that someone like Chakravarthy can bowl at any moment in an innings, including the powerplay, middle phase, and slog overs. Notably, the Tamil Nadu spinner took five wickets in three innings against Australia, making him the top bowler for the Men in Blue. Badrinath believes he has enough impact to overpower even Jasprit Bumrah, who has 99 wickets in the format.
“Numbers tell us that Varun Chakravarthy is the No. 1 T20 bowler in the world. He is more valuable than even Bumrah. Whenever the runs are flowing in the powerplay or the middle overs or even in the 18th over, Varun is the go-to bowler. He has gone to a different level with his game. A superb comeback after being given a chance initially and getting dropped because of fitness. But in this second phase after his comeback, he has taken his game to the next level,” Badrinath said on Star Sports as quoted by India Today.
“He’s a huge asset for India, in fact, even a weapon. Going forward, with the T20 World Cup in India, he will be the most crucial factor. If Varun has a good day, there is a great chance the Indian team will have a good day,” Badrinath added.
Speaking of Bumrah’s numbers in the series, the Ahmedabad-born also played three innings, but was able to pick three wickets at an economy of 6.58, slightly better than Chakravarthy’s 6.83 runs per over. The ace pacer will next be seen in India’s two-match Test series against South Africa at home, starting November 14. Chakravarthy, on the other hand, is expected to play the T20Is against the Proteas during the same tour, but in December.
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