Team India spinner Varun Chakravarthy dismissed any comparisons between himself and veteran off-spinner R Ashwin ahead of the second T20I against England in Chennai on January 25 as well. Notably, Ashwin recently retired from international cricket during the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia as well. On the other hand, Varun has done well recently.

“Comparing him to me is big. Ashwin has played all three formats. I am just making a comeback. I haven’t reached a stage where I can be compared to him. But still, everybody, when they make it to the Indian team, wants to play for a long time. I am following my process. Let the hard work take me where it can. It’s better that way. I am not thinking about filling someone’s shoes,” Varun said [quoted by India Today]. “Ashwin’s shoes are big to fill. He has taken 500-plus Test wickets. I am not even close yet.”

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Varun Chakravarthy also shared that his preparation for a match includes research on opposition batters, pitch conditions, and depending on his instincts as well. Although he faced a slow start to his international career, his last eight T20I games have seen 20 wickets at an average of under 12 as well.

“Initially, the plan will be the same. I will see how they are trying to approach me. It’s all instinctive. Basically, you have certain plans for certain batters, but if they are trying something different, you have to rely on instinct. The first thing is preparation—looking at the batter, understanding their release shots, and checking if they have added a new shot to their repertoire. I definitely do that research. Based on that, and on the pitch conditions, I make certain calculations. Some shots work on certain pitches, while others don’t. So I plan accordingly,” Varun Chakravarthy concluded.