Yuzvendra Chahal, Aakash Chopra gang up on Suryakumar Yadav over poor treatment of Varun Chakravarthy

Yuzvendra Chahal and Aakash Chopra have slammed the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav for his handling of the team’s biggest weapon, Varun Chakravarthy, in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.

Even after a narrow 17-run win over the Netherlands in their last Group A match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, serious questions have been raised about Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, as Varun Chakaravarthy is not getting his full four overs in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.

Varun Chakravarthy on fire in the T20 World Cup 2026 despite not getting full overs

The mystery spinner once again turned the match on its head. Defending 194 runs, Varun broke the backbone of the Dutch batting. He finished with superb figures of 3 wickets for just 14 runs in three overs. He removed Max O'Dowd, Colin Ackermann, and Aryan Dutt.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Read Also: Mohammad Amir humiliates Abhishek Sharma, drags him to Saim Ayub tier after a hat-trick of ducks

Two of those wickets came in back-to-back balls, and the Netherlands was far behind in the game, yet the Indian spinner was not allowed to complete his quota of four overs in Ahmedabad. This is not the first time. Except for the opening match against the USA, where he bowled all four overs, Varun has been used only for two or three overs in the other games in the tournament.

Varun Chakravarthy bowled just two overs and still picked up three wickets against Namibia and then was sent for only three overs, and yet again, the spinner delivered brilliantly, taking two wickets while giving away only 17 runs against Pakistan. Now, he once again bowled only three overs against the Netherlands.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Aakash Chopra target Suryakumar Yadav over Varun Chakravarthy’s usage

Following the defending champions’ narrow victory, Aakash Chopra openly said that it is shocking to see such a match-winner not finishing his full quota. He strongly feels that if Varun Chakravarthy had bowled all four overs regularly, he could have even grabbed a five-wicket haul in the group stage.

Chopra posted, X: “Surprising that Varun isn’t finishing his quota of overs. Only once he’s bowled all 4. He would’ve taken at least one 5-fer if he was allowed to finish his quota. He is and He will be the most important bowler along with Boom in the next round.”

Read Also: India become ‘Pakistan’ as horrible catching stats emerge amid T20 World Cup 2026; Varun Aaron furious

Soon after Chopra’s assessment, Yuzvendra Chahal backed his fellow cricket pandit’s view and hinted that Varun deserves better treatment by Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Sharing Chopra’s post on X, Chahal wrote, “Couldn't agree more, Bhaiya 👏.”

couldn't agree more bhaiya 👏 https://t.co/xtXh4VUBbO

— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) February 18, 2026

Varun’s Magic

The numbers make the debate even louder. In four matches of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Varun Chakravarthy has already taken nine wickets. His average is below seven, which is simply outstanding. He is currently joint second in the list of highest wicket-takers in this tournament.

One-day break before the big Super 8 for India

Well, India finished the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage as an unbeaten side. They beat the USA, Namibia, Pakistan, and the Netherlands in Group A. Now, the Men in Blue will take a one-day break on Thursday, February 19, before the next round. They will next face South Africa and Zimbabwe in the Super 8 round of the showpiece event.