Ahmedabad, February 22 – Ahead of India’s match against South Africa in their first Super Eights clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy explained that the nature of the pitch suits his bowling style, noting that the surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium has changed since their last meeting in December 2025.
Against South Africa, Chakravarthy has taken 22 wickets in eight T20Is, including his best bowling figures of 5-17 in Gqeberha in 2024. Currently, Chakravarthy has nine wickets in four matches with an economy of 5.2 and a strike rate of 8, placing him second on the tournament’s wicket-taking charts, behind USA pacer Shadley Van Schalkwyk.
“Well, those matches were played a month ago, and obviously, things have changed since then. But I would say the wicket has helped me a bit because it offers more turn. As I told you, when the pitch offers more turn, it sometimes helps me because I’m generally quicker through the air, and so I get a little more assistance here,” he said to broadcasters ahead of the game.
On his role as a bowler in the middle overs, Chakravarthy said, “It’s just about taking wickets. So my role in the team is to take wickets, and I also bowl quite often in the powerplay because in the last two series, all the matches I have bowled in the powerplay, and I’m used to that as well.”
The leg-spinner said the atmosphere at the ground was special. “It means a lot because this ground, when it’s packed, is totally different. It has a different vibe, and we are all looking forward to this experience here.”
He acknowledged the challenge of defending totals on smaller grounds. “It’s challenging because of the small ground and flat wickets. I hope we can play more in Sri Lanka because of the turning tracks, but these are the conditions that we have in front of us. So I can’t complain much. Things have been going well for the team, and hopefully, we can continue it.”
