“In the next T20 World Cup in India, he’ll be number one bowler” - Former batter makes huge prediction on Indian spinner

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has lauded leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy following his heroics in the T20I series opener against England in Kolkata. Kaif spoke about the significance of his bowling in the middle order for India and reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), calling him a complete package.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also predicted that Varun will be the World No,.1 bowler in the next T20 World Cup, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

Kaif credited Varun for his tremendous improvement before pointing out his technical prowess. He said on his YouTube channel:

“He’s also the main bower for KKR, he also led them to victory. When KKR won the championship last time, he made a big contribution, always in the middle order. He got a chance to play [for India] at 29, and now he looks like a complete package.

He continued:

"In the next T20 World Cup in India, he’ll be a number-one bowler. It’ll be tough to play against him. It looks like he’ll leave all spinners behind and become the number-one bowler in the Indian team. He’ll only get better.”

“He has shown improvement. Against pace, he used to bowl short, outside the off-stump. Now, his line of attack is on the stumps. Earlier, he used to bowl a lot of googlies but now he has learned leg spin. He has maintained accuracy [to get batters bowled out in between bat and pad]. A big comeback,” Kaif added.

Varun Chakravarthy picked up 21 wickets in 15 matches for the Knight Riders in IPL 2024 season. The franchise lifted their third IPL trophy, their first after 10 years.

“I’ve disappointed Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni” – Mohammad Kaif lauds India spinner's turnaround

While giving the example of Varun Chakaravarthy’s bowling in the series opener against England, Mohammad Kaif further lauded his turnaround after his heartbreak at the 2021 T20 World Cup. He said in the same video:

“He took the wickets of Livingstone, Brook, and Buttler in the last match. He’s learned to take the wickets of key players in the middle overs. It shows that Varun didn’t give up, and never accepted defeat. He was adamant about becoming a better bowler, and felt like, ‘I’ve disappointed Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni (then mentor)’. Had a heartbreak but went forward.”

Varun returned with figures of 3/23 in his four overs against England in the first T20I. The 33-year-old has scalped 20 wickets in eight T20Is since his comeback last year.