2 min readMar 4, 2026 11:43 AM IST
Games in the Super 8 stage have not gone to plan for Varun Chakarvarthy, as teams have read him well and have managed to squeeze runs through the middle overs. What was a bankable four overs from Chakarvarthy has become a slight concern for the Indian side in the last three games. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, making his observation, pointed out that when pressure is on, Chakaravrthy tends to panic a bit.
“Many batters are now coming prepared, knowing exactly how to plan against him (Varun). That is where a slight problem can arise. I have noticed that when he gets hit for runs, he sometimes shows a bit of panic. You can see it in the way he reacts. Instead of sticking to his natural wicket-to-wicket length, he starts bowling at the pads.” said Kaif on his YouTube channel.
Kaif also pointed out that Chakarvarthy has been too reliant on his googly rather than the orthodox leg-spinner. “Throughout this World Cup, I feel he has bowled very little leg-spin. He can work on his leg-spin because right now batsmen are waiting for his googly. Since the ball comes into the stumps, they treat it like an off-spinner and expect it to turn inward. That is why many of them are able to hit him towards long-on and straight with a full face of the bat,” Kaif observed.
“I think Varun needs to focus more on his leg-spin as well. He can bowl outside the off-stump line with his leg-spin and then bring in the googly as a variation. If he keeps bowling only googlies, batsmen may start reading him better. Instead of targeting the pads, he can attack outside off-stump with leg-spin and then surprise them with a googly aimed at the stumps. That could be a smarter plan for Varun,” he further added.
