Subramaniam Badrinath reveals India’s main bowler ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 & it’s not Jasprit Bumrah

Former Indian batter Subramaniam Badrinath has revealed that the star spinner Varun Chakravarthy is the current No.1 bowler in T20I cricket, because of his ability to contain the run-flow in any moment of the shortest format of the game.

Speaking on Star Sports, Badrinath stated that Varun would be Suryakumar Yadav’s go-to bowler in T20Is whenever runs are flowing in the powerplay or middle overs, or even in the death overs.

"Numbers tell us that Varun Chakaravarthy is the No. 1 T20 bowler in the world. He is more valuable than even Bumrah. Whenever the runs are flowing in the powerplay or the middle overs or even in the 18th over, Varun is the go-to bowler. He has gone to a different level with his game. A superb comeback after being given a chance initially and getting dropped because of fitness. But in this second phase after his comeback, he has taken his game to the next level," Badrinath told Star Sports.

Additionally, the former Indian batter also reckoned that Chakravarthy will play an important role for Team India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka next year.

"He's a huge asset for India, in fact, even a weapon. In the future, with the T20 World Cup in India, he will be the most crucial factor. If Varun has a good day, there is a great chance the Indian team will have a good day," he concluded.

Notably, Varun has been a constant member of the Indian T20I playing XI and he would be next seen in the three-match T20I series against South Africa at home.

Delving into the details of Chakravarthy's T20I numbers, he has scalped 45 wickets in only 29 T20Is at an average of 15.68 with the best figures of 5/17 against South Africa.

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