Varun Chakravarthy dismisses Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry in same over to complete 5-wicket haul in IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy match [Watch]

Team India mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy ran through the New Zealand batting unit to clinch his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs. He dismissed opposition skipper Mitchell Santner and tail-ender Matt Henry in the same over to achieve the remarkable feat as the Men in Blue ended the group stage with another convincing win at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, March 2.

Chakravarthy came into the playing XI in place of Harshit Rana, who was rested. The spinner, a late inclusion into the overall squad itself, played a huge role in India successfully defending 249 runs. He castled opening batter Will Young, and trapped Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell LBW to mark a solid display while keeping the run-scoring in check too.

Santner provided a late scare as he unleashed a few hits amid the falling wickets, and was the last hurdle for India en route to victory. Having bamboozled the Blackcaps throughout his spell, Chakravarthy surprised the left-handed batter with a cross-seam pace-on delivery. The ball skid off the surface, and crashed into the stumps as the Blackcaps skipper failed to bring his bat down in time, getting dismissed for 28 runs.

With only four deliveries remaining in his spell, Chakravarthy was in a race against time to complete his five-wicket haul. He availed the opportunity when Matt Henry swung hard off the penultimate delivery, only for the mistimed slog to be caught comfortably by Virat Kohli. Henry lost his wicket for just two runs.

Have a look at both dismissals right here:

Varun Chakravarthy finished with impressive figures of 5-42 off his 10 overs. This is the fifth time that he has registered a five-wicket haul in List-A cricket. He had also finished with figures of 5-52 in Tamil Nadu's loss to Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy preliminary quarter-final in February 2025.

Varun Chakravarthy roars into contention to retain his place in the semi-final

With the stunning 44-run win, Team India remain unbeaten in the 2025 Champions Trophy, and finished as table-toppers of Group A. As a result, they will face Australia in the semi-final, who finished second in Group B.

Chakravarthy proved what he is capable of doing on such surfaces. Furthermore, with the bowling combination not being hurt with a fourth spinner, there is a high chance that the mystery spinner could be retained to rattle the Australian batting unit in a similar fashion.

The semi-final encounter between India and Australia is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, at the Dubai International Stadium.