Tag: Varun Chakaravarthy

DUBAI: Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has climbed to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings on Wednesday, capping off a remarkable year with his maiden No.1 spot.

The 34-year-old becomes only the third Indian bowler to achieve the milestone, joining Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi in the elite list.

Chakaravarthy, who cemented his place in India’s T20I setup over the past 12 months, leapfrogged New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy to secure the top position.

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His consistency has been backed by notable performances, including a five-wicket haul against England earlier this year and tidy spells at the ongoing Asia Cup, where he has claimed two wickets from as many matches against the UAE and Pakistan.

The rankings update sees Duffy slip to second, West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein steady at third, and Australia’s Adam Zampa climbing to fourth.

Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara also surged six places to sixth, while India’s Kuldeep Yadav made a significant leap of 16 spots to 23rd.

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On the batting front, Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the T20I rankings following his 31-run knock against Pakistan.

England’s Phil Salt and Jos Buttler trail closely in second and third, while South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (up to 11th) and Aiden Markram (up to 30th) also made gains.

Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka moved up to sixth, Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz rose to 19th, and Shubman Gill entered the top 40.

Among all-rounders, Hardik Pandya retained his top spot, with Pakistan’s Saim Ayub (now joint-fifth) and Abhishek Sharma (14th) making significant progress.

READ: Struggling Saim Ayub continues to rise in ICC T20I Rankings

India’s mystery spinner, Varun Chakaravarthy, recently shared his experiences during the challenging period that followed their significant loss to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021.

Pakistan set multiple records when they defeated India by 10 wickets in their match at the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai.

Varun Chakaravarthy, a member of the Indian squad, has since shared the challenging time he experienced following the defeat.

In an interview with an Indian media outlet, the Indian spinner claimed that he received threats from people asking him not to return to the country.

“It was a dark time for me. I was in depression because I thought I was not able to do justice after I was picked for the T20 World Cup with a lot of hype,” he said.

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“I regretted not taking even one wicket. After that, for three years, I was not selected. So, I think the comeback to the team was tougher than the path to my debut,” he added.

The India spinner recalled people chasing him to his house, forcing him to hide several times after Pakistan defeated India with 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2021.

“After the 2021 World Cup, I received threat calls. People said, ‘Don’t come to India. If you try, you won’t be able to’.”

“People approached my house and tracked me down, and I sometimes had to hide. When I was returning from the airport, some people followed me on their bikes,” said Chakaravarthy.

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