Varun Chakravarthy creates embarrassing record for India with his five-fer in Rajkot

India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has continued his sublime form in the third T20I against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday, January 28. However, England managed to crush India by 26 runs in Rajkot, and Chakravarthy ended up making an unwanted record.

The Indian spinner has been on fire with the ball from the first T20I, and he was even more dangerous in the third T20I match against the touring side in Rajkot on Tuesday. Varun Chakravarthy struck in the 9th over, removing England captain Buttler for 24 off 22 balls.

Varun Chakravarthy's heroics go in vain as England crush India in Rajkot

The star leg-spinner then went on a wicket-taking spree, sending Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer back to the pavilion to complete a record-breaking five-wicket haul against England. Varun wrapped up his spell with impressive figures of 4-0-24-5.

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In the process, Chakravarthy achieved a remarkable feat, breaking Kuldeep Yadav's record for the most wickets by an Indian spinner in a 10-match T20I stretch. He has now 26 wickets to his name, surpassing Kuldeep's 25 to become the Indian spinner with the most wickets in a 10-match T20I stretch.

Kuldeep has taken 69 wickets in 40 T20Is so far, while Bhuvneshwar has scalped 90 wickets in 87 T20I matches. Globally, Varun Chakravarthy ranked third after Malaysia’s Syazrul Idrus (28 wickets) and Afghanistan’s spin wizard Rashid Khan (30 wickets).

Varun Chakravarthy's dream run continues with remarkable milestones in Rajkot

Before the third T20I in Rajkot, the Indian spinner had already picked up 5 wickets in the series—three in the opening match and two in the second. With his latest remarkable performance in Rajkot, Varun has 10 wickets so far in the ongoing five-match T20I series against England.

With this, Varun Chakravarthy has made history by becoming the first player to take 10 wickets in a single bilateral T20I series between India and England. Additionally, Chakaravarthy etched his name in the record books by becoming the fastest Indian bowler to claim two five-wicket hauls in T20I cricket. He achieved this impressive milestone in just his 16th match.

Apart from Varun, only Kuldeep Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have also managed two five-wicket hauls in T20Is for India. With 29 wickets from just 16 matches, the spinner has firmly established himself as a key weapon for the Men in Blue in T20I cricket.

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Double five-fer heartbreak for Varun Chakravarthy in T20I cricket

But his efforts went in vain, as Team India lost the third T20I against England, and Chakaravarthy made an embarrassing record. Well, Varun Chakaravarthy has taken five-wicket hauls twice in his T20I career so far. Interestingly, on both occasions, India ended up facing defeat—first against South Africa and now against England.

With the latest setback, Chakaravarthy became the world’s first bowler in history to achieve two five-wicket hauls in T20I cricket where his team lost both times. His first five-wicket haul came against South Africa on November 10, 2024, at St. George's Park Stadium in Gqeberha.

In that match, Varun scalped 5 wickets for just 17 runs, but the Men in Blue still suffered a three-wicket defeat against the South African side. Notably, India will next face England in the fourth T20I match on January 31 in Pune.