IND v SA 2025: “Mystery should remain mystery,” Ashwin advises India ‘not to overexpose’ Varun Chakaravarthy in T20I series
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has issued a word of caution for head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav regarding the utilization of Varun Chakaravarthy in the five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting on December 9 in Cuttack.
Ashwin urged the Indian think tank not to “overexpose” the mystery spinner in the bilateral contest, suggesting that the Men in Blue might also face the Proteas in the T20 World Cup next year.
Varun has turned up in 29 T20Is so far, claiming 45 wickets with the best figures of 5/17. He is expected to play a pivotal role in the global showpiece, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
According to Ashwin, Varun along with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav can be deadly, and opposition teams should not get the opportunity to get acclimatized to them.
After the South Africa series, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will also play five T20Is against New Zealand next year, and this will serve as the dress rehearsal for the World Cup.
“We shouldn’t overexpose Varun Chakaravarthy. We shouldn’t do that. One should save him. We will be playing against South Africa and New Zealand, and we can possibly play against these teams in the T20 World Cup. Varun’s mystery is a big factor. He has been playing for many years, but he’s still able to hold his own,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“But exposing both Kuldeep and Varun in large quantities is something I’ll refrain from. I think eventually they have to play together in the World Cup, but not overexposing the mystery of Varun, because these teams can face us in the knockouts of the T20 World Cup,” he added.
“Don’t give them enough time to figure him out. The more they play against him, they will also have a chance of figuring it out. Mystery should remain mystery,” he further remarked.
India suffered a 0-2 whitewash in the Test series against South Africa, before bouncing back to win the ODI series 2-1. Now all focus is on the T20I leg as both teams are finalizing their combinations for the T20 World Cup 2026.
