New Delhi: Varun Chakravarthy revealed that the Indian team stayed confident of staging a comeback despite Pakistan’s impressive start in the Asia Cup 2025 final last Sunday.
Pakistan were at 113 for one in the 13th over before India pushed them on the backfoot, ultimately restricting them to a modest total of 146 all out in 19.1 overs.
“So, that is how it is designed,” Chakaravarthy explained on the side-lines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday. “If you saw the trend in the Asia Cup, the first eight overs all the batting teams got off to a flyer. After that, from the eighth over to the next seventeenth over, it was very tough to score runs. We knew that even if they scored lots of runs in the first eight overs, even if we get one or two wickets here and there, we can pull them back and that is what happened.”
Chakravarthy delivered a sensational bowling in Asia Cup 2025
Chakravarthy delivered a sensational bowling as he picked the wickets of set batter Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub. His wicket of Ayub in the 13th over broke the momentum for Pakistan. Kuldeep Yadav then ran through their batting line-up, picking three wickets in his fourth over as Pakistan’s innings fell apart before completing 20 overs.
Chakaravarthy revealed that there was no panic in the dressing room
India had a shaky start in their chase but managed to reach the target in the final over, thanks to a crucial six from Tilak Varma. Chakaravarthy revealed that there was no panic in the dressing room and the team remained confident throughout that they would chase down the total.
“We knew it was in our hands. Because we had Tilak and Rinku (Singh). People have not seen Rinku that much on the international stage, but we all know what he can do in the franchise he has played. So, if Rinku and Tilak are there, I know that 10-11 (10 runs were required) runs in the last over is easy nowadays. In the IPL, people chase 20-25 runs,” the India spinner opined. He claimed seven wickets in six matches but he was one of the most devastating bowlers of the tournament with his mystery deliveries.
Chakaravarthy was India’s joint leading wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy
The KKR spinner from Tamil Nadu said he adapted his bowling to meet the demands of international cricket, “When I got dropped from the team, I was bowling more of side spin, which was not working in the international stage on placid wickets. So, I had to resort to overspin, which gave me more bounce and turn. So, if I have overspin, the ball dips more. I have more dip in the ball.”
Chakaravarthy was India’s joint leading wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy earlier this year, as he picked nine wickets. Despite this, he has been excluded from the ODI squad for the Australia series. The 33-year-old spinner said he understands the decision.
“I expect to be in every team but it’s up to the selectors. Maybe the pitchers there offer less of a chance. If you see in the Champions Trophy also I was brought in as a replacement for Yashasvi (Jaiswal) as well. So it just depends on the conditions.”
Story Highlight
- Varun Chakravarthy revealed that the Indian team stayed confident of staging a comeback despite Pakistan’s impressive start in the Asia Cup 2025 final last Sunday.
- Chakravarthy delivered an sensational bowling as he picked the wickets of set batter Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub.
- India had a shaky start in their chase but managed to reach the target in the final over, thanks to a crucial six from Tilak Varma.
- Chakaravarthy was India’s joint leading wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy earlier this year, as he picked nine wickets.