T20 World Cup: 'When Varun Was Attacked, He Had No Answer'

'Apart from Bumrah, nothing much stood out in the bowling, except for the new spell bowled by Arshdeep.'

India leggie Varun Chakravarthy took just one wicket while conceding 47 runs in four overs in the Super 8 match against South Africa on Sunday

IMAGE: Varun Chakravarathy took just one wicket while conceding 47 runs in four overs in the Super 8 match against South Africa on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Irfan Pathan expressed disappointment after India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy's unsuccessful outing against South Africa in their first Super 8 fixture in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Key Points

Pathan said the spinner looked 'clueless once put under pressure, despite the pitch offering limited turn.
Pathan also criticised Hardik Pandya's final over, saying he failed to bowl yorkers and allowed Tristan Stubbs to score freely.
'Maharaj managed to take three wickets. That was some excellent bowling.'

Pathan noted that Chakravarthy was clueless once the Proteas batters got into gear. He also said that the Ahmedabad pitch didn't offer much for the spinners, but pointed out that South Africa's Keshav Maharaj took three wickets at a crucial time in the match.

Chakravarthy received special treatment from David Miller and Dewald Brevis in the middle overs and gave away 47 runs in his four over spell while scalping only one wicket.

'When he was attacked, he had no answer'

'Apart from Bumrah, nothing much stood out in the bowling, except for the new spell bowled by Arshdeep. The most disappointing aspect was Varun Chakravarthy. When he was attacked, he had no answer, which was somewhat disappointing.

Surely, there wasn't much spin in the pitch, but even Maharaj managed to take three wickets. That was some excellent bowling,' Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

'Hardik didn't aim for yorkers'

Pathan also felt that Hardik Pandya, who gave away 20 runs in the last over, completely shifted the momentum towards South Africa.

'Towards the end, when the score reached 167 and 19 overs were done, Hardik came to bowl the final over. He bowled to Tristan Stubbs in the way he prefers, slightly short, slightly into the pitch, giving the batsman a chance to open their hands.

'He did not aim too much at the yorker (length), and because of that, Tristan Stubbs took advantage and hit runs freely. That completely shifted the momentum back to the dressing room.'

South Africa snapped India's 12 match unbeaten streak at the ICC T20 World Cup as they handed the defending champions a 76 run defeat