Former India cricketer R Ashwin believes Varun Chakravarthy was crucial to India’s Champions Trophy victory. Chakravarthy joined the squad after impressing in matches against England, that preceded the eight-team tournament, despite not being in the initial team selection.
Though Rachin Ravindra from New Zealand received the Player of the Tournament award, Ashwin had a different perspective on who deserved the honour.
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“Whatever said and done, the Player of the Tournament, in my view, was Varun Chakaravarthy. He didn’t play the entire tournament. He was such a big difference. If Varun Chakaravarthy wasn’t there, I think this game would have been very different. He brought that X-factor and the novelty factor. If I were the judge, I would have given it to Varun. He was the biggest difference,” Ashwin expressed on his Hindi YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
Ashwin particularly praised Chakravarthy’s bowling technique against Glenn Phillips.
“Just look at how he dismissed Glenn Phillips. He wasn’t covering the stumps, so Varun went wide of the crease and bowled that googly. In my view, Varun has to be the Player of the Series. The award should be given to someone who made the biggest difference. Varun Chakaravarthy deserves the Player of the Series award,” he added.
Ashwin acknowledged the bowling unit’s contribution to India’s victory, specifically in limiting New Zealand to 251/7 in the final match.
“I am so happy for Rohit and Gautam Gambhir. Just spare a thought for GG [Gambhir]. What must he be going through? Losing Test series against New Zealand, you have been losing a few. But you made a remarkable decision. There was no Jasprit Bumrah. Remarkably, this Indian team won the Champions Trophy without [Jasprit] Bumrah. What does it tell you? Where does it leave Indian cricket? I am so happy. I think the world will take some time to catch up with Indian cricket,” he stated.
Chakravarthy, who finished as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker, shared his thoughts after the final match.
“I didn’t expect to turn out like this, a dream come true. The spin was less in the first innings, and I had to be disciplined, just stick to the basics,” Chakravarthy told the broadcasters after the win.
