Varun Chakaravarthy's T20I stats vc SA (Source: AFP)
India's trump card in the T20I format, Varun Chakaravarthy, is a mystery that not many batters have been able to decode. A key figure in the Indian white-ball revolution has dominated with his spin web. However, his reign over the South African set-up is one to look out for.
The Kolkata Knight Riders' bowler is all set to don India's new T20I jersey against his favourite opponent at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. But before that, let's take a look at Varun Chakaravarthy's stats against South Africa.
Varun Chakaravarthy vs South Africa In T20Is
Starting his International career in July 2021, Chakaravarthy has played only four matches. In these four games, the spinner webbed up to 12 targets. With 5/17 being his best T20I figures, Varun has bowled at a decent economy of 8.62, with a magnificent strike rate of 8.0.
Varun Chakaravarthy's T20I stats vc SA
| Statistic | Value |
| Wickets | 12 |
| Economy | 8.6 |
| Best Figures | 5/17 |
While his economy has been on the slightly expensive side, he has a knack for taking wickets at recent intervals.
"We shouldn’t overexpose Varun Chakaravarthy": Former India veteran
Considering Chakaravarthy's prowess and impact with the ball for the Men in Blue, the legendary Ravichandran Ashwin said India should avoid overexposing him and keep his mystery intact, especially with the T20 World Cup a couple of months away.
Notably, after the five T20Is against South Africa this month, India are scheduled to play five more against New Zealand in January. However, Varun's Tamil Nadu teammate, Ashwin, advised the team management not to play Chakaravarthy in all the games.
On top of that, Chakaravarthy has been in sensational form in the shortest format since his international comeback last year. In his previous 23 T20Is, the Tamil Nadu spinner has picked up 43 wickets.
No doubt, Varun will be the biggest weapon for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Hence, it will be interesting to see how the skipper Suryakumar Yadav and the team management use this talent, firmly focusing on fine-tuning the squad.
