Former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth went on to slam the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav for resting spinner Varun Chakravarthy after just 2 overs. Chakravarthy picked 3 wickets in his 2-over spell, but the skipper decided against handing him the ball any further.
India marched into the 2026 T20 World Cup as the defending champions of the competition. Led by the new skipper Suryakumar Yadav, India are a revamped side and are playing an ICC event for the first time without their two veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Suryakumar Yadav has largely been praised for his captaincy ever since he took over the role for the Indian side. Yadav has led India in numerous matches since 2024 and has just been defeated in a handful of games. Under him, India continued as the top-ranked T20I side in the ICC rankings.
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“Next lock him inside a room,” said Kris Srikkanth on India’s mistreatment of Varun Chakravarthy
Former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth has slammed the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav for not bowling out all overs from the spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Chakravarthy was India’s stand-out spinner, and he delivered just 2 overs with the ball.
After Namibia got off to a stunning start, they were 67/1 in their seven overs while chasing a massive 210-run total, and the Indian spin bowling maestro was introduced into the attack. He turned things completely 360 degrees.
Varun dismissed the likes of the Namibian opener and followed with a double-wicket second over, where he dismissed Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton and JJ Smit in the same over. He returned with the magic figures of 3/7 in his 2-over spell.
“This concept of protecting a bowler and not exposing him is absurd. Next, lock him inside a room. I am sure Varun must be upset. I feel for him, as it was an opportunity was a five-wicket haul in a World Cup. How many people can get five wickets in a World Cup? But what a spell; his confidence must be sky high. Nobody knows how to play him,” said Kris Srikkanth on his YouTube channel.
“What’s the logic of not exposing him?” – Srikkanth slams Suryakumar Yadav
Kris Srikkanth failed to understand the logic behind the Indian captain not letting Varun Chakravarthy complete his spell. He highlighted the fact that his bowling has not changed, and it has been witnessed around 1000 times on TV.
“I could not comprehend it at all. What’s the logic of not exposing him? Everyone has seen his bowling 1000 times on TV, and teams have played his bowling enough now. So what’s the point of hiding him?”
Srikkanth also claimed that he would have struck further, had he been bowling more overs. “Three wickets in two overs, so another two overs would have given him a minimum of six wickets. He should have continued bowling and finished them completely. He should have decimated them. Instead of that, India dragged the match till the final overs,” he added.
“How can you not bowl Bumrah in the powerplay?” – Srikkanth slammed Surya’s captaincy
After Varun Chakravarthy, Srikkanth next slammed Suryakumar Yadav for misusing the ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has not been used in the powerplay by Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir in recent times.
Srikkanth mentions that Bumrah, if used within the powerplay, can be effective for India. He also claimed that using him earlier could be more successful for them.
“How can you not bowl Bumrah in the powerplay? I don’t understand the logic behind this. Is he some average bowler to come after the sixth over? It’s hard to understand why Bumrah is not opening the bowling. Are you protecting Bumrah also now? If he bowls at the start, the matches can be finished straightaway,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
