India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued his stellar run in T20Is, breaking Kuldeep Yadav’s record for the most wickets by an Indian spinner in a 10-match stretch. His 5/24 against England in the third T20I in Rajkot dismantled the visitors, restricting them to 171/9.
Chakravarthy’s Record-Breaking Feat
Since his return to the Indian T20I setup last year, Chakravarthy has been in red-hot form:
- 10 matches → 27 wickets
- Average: 10.96
- Economy Rate: 7.40
- Best Bowling Figures: 5/17
Across 16 T20Is, he has:
- 29 wickets
- Average: 14.65
- Economy Rate: 6.84
With this, Chakravarthy surpassed Kuldeep Yadav’s 25-wicket mark for an Indian spinner over a 10-match span.
Global Ranking
Chakravarthy’s 27-wicket haul in 10 games places him third globally, behind:
- Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) – 30 wickets
- Syazrul Idrus (Malaysia) – 28 wickets
Additionally, he became the first player ever to take 10 wickets in a single bilateral T20I series between India and England.
How Chakravarthy Dismantled England
- Key wickets: Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
- Turned the game: England collapsed from 83/1 to 127/8 due to his spell
Match Summary
India won the toss and chose to bowl first.
- England’s top-scorers:
- Ben Duckett (51 off 28)
- Jos Buttler (24 off 22)
- Liam Livingstone (43 off 28)
- Indian bowlers:
- Varun Chakravarthy – 5/24
- Hardik Pandya – 2 wickets
- Axar Patel & Ravi Bishnoi – 1 wicket each
Despite his brilliance, India fell short by 26 runs while chasing 172, allowing England to stay alive in the five-match series.
Chakravarthy’s form makes him a crucial weapon for India as they head into the final T20Is and future tournaments.
