World No. 1 T20 Bowler Gets Dropped in Asia Cup

Team India is set to play against Oman in the last league game of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. India will aim to end the group stage undefeated after winning the first two games handily. The Indian team would be feeling quite confident following the two victories, as they dominated Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in one-sided matches. With everything covered, they will begin as the overwhelming favourites against an Oman team hoping to pull off a huge shock and exit the competition. India's spinners have run wild, and their openers have performed admirably; they anticipate that this trend will continue in tonight's Asia Cup match.

After India won the toss, Suryakumar Yadav made the unexpected decision to bat first on a pitch that slows down as the match goes on. For the match against Oman, India has made two changes as Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy have been dropped. Varun Chakravarthy has been dropped to make room in the starting line-up for the second pacer. Despite the dry surface, there is some vibrant grass on the Abu Dhabi pitch. Meanwhile, India has already guaranteed a spot in the Super 4s after winning both of their group matches thus far.

Reason Behind Varun Chakravarthy Drop From the Line-Up

The surface is nice for batting, but there isn't much for the spinners, and the wind helps swing the ball. The Men in Blues want to give the pacers some playing time; thus, the leg-spinner must also give up his spot for the match. In the Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours, both players are probably going to make a comeback to the starting lineup. Both Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana entered the starting lineup, marking their first appearances in this Asia Cup. Meanwhile, one of the best spinners in the world, Varun Chakravarthy replacement is Harshit Rana, and Arshdeep Singh replaces Bumrah. The Men in Blue have a demanding white-ball cricket schedule in the upcoming months, so it is critical that they maintain their players well.

How Varun Chakaravarthy Adds Value to India's Bowling Attack?

In the most recent ICC men's T20I rankings, India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy is placed as the top bowler, a reward for his steady play in 2025. After one of the best bowlers in the world, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi, Chakaravarthy is only the third Indian bowler to capture the top spot in the ICC T20I bowling rankings. His ability to change the ball's speed is unmatched. So far, the Indian has only taken two wickets in as many tournament games for his country. Nonetheless, the bowler from Tamil Nadu will be held to high standards by the Men in Blue in the upcoming tournament stages.

In the shortest format, Chakaravarthy has taken up to 35 wickets in 20 international matches. He had an economy of 6.83, which is quite good for a spinner in Twenty20 Internationals. Due to his actions and ball trajectory, the Indian mystery spinner has a trap for the batter in his web, and he often leaks runs. A batter finds it very challenging to read the ball off his hands. Because of the speed, batters are compelled to read it off the pitch and are thus caught. Furthermore, Chakaravarthy has a variety of modifications, the most effective of which is the ball entering the right-hander. A hitter may be caught off guard by the amount of drift he creates on the ball.