All eyes are on spinner Varun Chakravarthy as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) prepares to reveal the Asia Cup 2025 squad on August 19. Varun has emerged as a formidable candidate for selection, and he has publicly acknowledged that head coach Gautam Gambhir and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav have supported his return to the Indian team. The event is set to start in the United Arab Emirates on September 9.
India which is in Group A that also includes Pakistan, UAE and Oman will face their first match on September 10. Given that spinners could prove to be quite decisive in the UAE conditions, it is no surprise that the name of Chakravarthy has been at the top, given his stellar performances in the limited-overs formats.
With 33 wickets in the 18 T20Is he has played so far, and two five-wicket hauls in the last few months, Varun has demonstrated to repetitively perform under pressure. He has also performed a big role in India in winning the ICC champions trophy 2025 earlier this year in which he took some vital wickets in Dubai. Varun revealed how he spent his post-IPL break of a month, to become ready to face the next obstacles.
“The Asia Cup is coming up, and for the white-ball players, they have got a good break after the IPL. I did play TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League), but still I have got a one-month break right now. It has been a good time to work on my strength and conditioning, fitness, my bowling, my batting, and everything. I got time to rejuvenate my entire self in a holistic way. Feeling better because I got a lot of time to spend with my kid, my wife, my parents. Yes, I think, I have put in the hard yards. Now, the rest is up to the bigger force.”
Varun Chakravarthy
Varun discussed how Gambhir and Suryakumar helped shape his return. He disclosed that Surya had guaranteed his spot in the squad prior to the Bangladesh tour and commended Gambhir’s coaching approach.
“I am looking at you, let us see how the other things go, but I am keen on having you in the team set-up. Similarly, Gauti Bhai also has helped me a lot in my comeback, the way he motivates me. Even if we talk little, he has always given me good confidence and he has always told that “no matter who’s going to ignore you, I will keep you in my plans for now”. So, that kind of gave me confidence. And if you ask about Gauti Bhai as a mentor, then I would say he brings in a warrior mindset in the dressing room, which is very important and has worked for us at KKR and in the Champions Trophy,” he said as quoted by Revsportz.
