Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy scripted a perfect redemption story in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, delivering a match-winning five-wicket haul against New Zealand in Dubai. This performance erased the painful memories of his wicketless ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign, which included India’s 10-wicket loss to Pakistan at the same venue.
Varun, who had worked his way back into the national team with impressive T20I performances, registered his third five-wicket haul in international cricket—this time in ODIs.
Varun’s Magical Spell in Dubai
New Zealand were well in the contest at 151/4 in 35.3 overs when Varun Chakravarthy turned the game on its head. He dismissed Will Young first, then ran through the middle and lower order, removing Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, and Matt Henry to complete his five-wicket haul (5/42 in 10 overs).
His performance was well-supported by Kuldeep Yadav (2/56), Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja, as India’s spinners combined to take nine wickets—a new Champions Trophy record. The previous best was eight wickets by Pakistan against Kenya in 2004.
Historic Feat for Varun
- Best bowling figures by an Indian on CT debut (5/42).
- Second-best figures on CT debut overall, behind Josh Hazlewood’s 6/52 (AUS vs NZ, 2017).
- Fastest five-wicket haul by an Indian in ODIs—achieved in just his second ODI. The previous record was Stuart Binny’s 6/4 in his third ODI vs Bangladesh (2014).
- Second-best bowling figures by an Indian in Champions Trophy history, behind Ravindra Jadeja’s 5/36 vs West Indies (2013).
Varun’s Reaction
Reflecting on his performance, Varun admitted feeling nervous initially due to his lack of ODI experience. However, encouragement from senior players helped him settle in.
“First of all, I did feel nervous in the initial stages. I have not played many matches for India in the ODI format, but as the game went on, I felt better. Virat, Rohit, Shreyas, and Hardik were talking to me, and that helped,” said Varun.
He also revealed that he only found out about his selection the night before the match.
“I was definitely expecting to play for the country, but on the other side, I was nervous. It was not a rank turner, but if you bowled in the right places, it was giving help. The way Kuldeep, Jaddu, and Axar bowled, even the pace bowlers, it was a total team effort,” he concluded.
Match Recap: India vs. New Zealand
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first. India’s top-order collapsed to 30/3, but a 98-run partnership between Shreyas Iyer (79) and Axar Patel (42) brought stability. Later, Hardik Pandya (45) and Ravindra Jadeja (16) added crucial runs to push India’s total to 249/9 in 50 overs.
Matt Henry was New Zealand’s best bowler, taking 5/42 in eight overs.
Chasing 250, New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals. Kane Williamson (81) held one end, but Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul dismantled the middle order, leading to New Zealand’s collapse at 205 in 45.3 overs.
Final Scorecard
🇮🇳 India – 249/9 in 50 overs (Iyer 79, Axar 42, Hardik 45; Henry 5/42)
🇳🇿 New Zealand – 205 all out in 45.3 overs (Williamson 81; Chakravarthy 5/42, Kuldeep 2/56)
🔹 India won by 44 runs.