"An Engineer can do everything"- Fans hail Varun Chakravarthy for magnificent five-wicket haul in 2nd IND vs SA T20I

Team India spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued his masterful bowling on international comeback in the second T20I against South Africa at Gqeberha on November 10. The 33-year-old was the hero in India's 61-run win in the series opener with figures of 3/25 in four overs.

India were defending a much lesser total of 124 in the second T20I compared to the 202 in the opening encounter, making Varun's task a challenging one. But the Karnataka-born spinner responded in style, picking up his maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket.

Varun finished with outstanding figures of 5/17 in four overs - the joint second best figures by an Indian bowler in T20Is. After debuting for India in 2021, the leggie was dropped after six outings.

However, a strong 2024 IPL saw his return to the T20I setup in the recent home series against Bangladesh. Varun has since picked up 13 wickets in five T20I matches at a stunning average of 8.84 and an economy of under 5.80.

His spell had India dreaming of a miraculous victory, while fans on Twitter were full of praise for the remarkable comeback with the following reactions:

Fans continued to praise Varun for his majestic spell with one saying:

"5 WICKETS HAUL FOR VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY...!!! He's absolutely unstoppable since his comeback."

"Varun Chakravarthy took 5 wickets against South Africa. An Engineer can do everything," tweeted a fan.

"Varun Chakravarthy loved kissing the stumps today. 5/17, a dreamy comeback," a fan said.

Team India fall short in 2nd SA T20I despite Varun Chakravarthy's heroics

Despite Varun Chakravarthy's incredible spell, India could not pull off their defense of a sub-par total in the second T20I against South Africa.

Defending 124, the visitors reduced the Proteas to 66/6 in the 13th over, with Varun removing the dangerous duo of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller for a second consecutive outing. Tristan Stubbs displayed tremendous poise to steer the South African ship and help them pull off a three-wicket win in 19 overs.

Stubbs was well supported by Gerald Coetzee's 9-ball 19* as the pair added an unbeaten 42 for the eigth wicket.

The result broke a 11-match winning streak for India in T2I0s as they endured a disappointing performance with the bat in the first innings.

With the four-match series now tied at 1-1, the crucial third T20I will be played in Centurion on Wednesday, November 13.