Varun has picked up nine wickets in four matches in the T20 World Cup 2026 at a staggering average of 6.88 and an equally impressive economic rating of 5.16. Against the Netherlands, the spinner finished with figures three for 14 in three overs. Had he not picked up those crucial wickets, India’s winning streak in the tournament could have come to an end.
In the 21 matches that Varun and Bumrah have played together so far, the mystery spinner has outperformed the talismanic pacer in terms of wickets taken, with a score of 30-22. On his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said that Varun is not getting the admiration he deserves and feels like the batters are standing on sixes and sevens while trying to pick his variations.
“Look at the field charts – most of his deliveries are around off-stump and middle stump. Against right-handers, the ball turns in a bit and then spins. His googly comes in sharply. Most of his wickets are of good length or just short of good length. Not even full deliveries. Even his so-called short balls are deceptive,” said Srikkanth.
“People don’t know what he is bowling. Is it a googly? Is it the straight one? Is it slower? Is it faster? Nobody knows. Suddenly he bowls a faster one. Then he changes speed again. Multiple speeds. Long run-up, relaxed action – but incredibly misleading. Frankly, he doesn’t get enough credit. Bumrah is fantastic. You won’t find a bowler like Bumrah anytime soon,” he added.
Srikkanth also backed Chakaravarthy as Player of the Tournament if India won the World Cup. Interestingly, Bumrah was the Player of the Tournament in the previous edition of the marquee event in 2024 when India won the title under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
“One hundred percent (he can be the Player of the Tournament). Because of consistency. In every match he plays, even on a bad day, he gives away only 34 or 35 runs. For a spinner, four overs for 36 runs is absolutely acceptable in T20 cricket. But within that, he still takes one or two wickets. He casually puts in match-winning performances. But he is not celebrated enough,” Srikkanth said.
Varun, you are a modern-day great: Srikkanth
The former India selector called Varun a modern great in the format and claimed that he is doing what Bumrah did a few years ago in T20Is.
“Varun, you are a modern-day great. I’m telling you honestly from my heart – not because you are Tamil, not because you are from Tamil Nadu or Chennai. No. Purely because of skill. Every batsman is struggling. They don’t know how to face him. They don’t know whether to defend. They don’t know whether to attack. They don’t know what to do against him. That’s exactly what Bumrah was a few years ago. Bumrah is still doing it brilliantly,” said Srikkanth.
As for Bumrah’s performance in the ongoing World Cup, the 32-year-old has four wickets from three matches at an average of 13.50 and an economy rate of 6.
It goes without saying that both Bumrah and Chakaravarthy will have to play a key role in the upcoming matches in the Super 8s, with the competition only getting tougher from here on out.
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