Former India batter turned analyst Mohammad Kaif has said that Varun Chakaravarthy has moved ahead of Kuldeep Yadav in the bowling order in the Indian T20I team. His comments came after the second T20I against New Zealand, taking place on January 23 in Raipur, where India registered a seven-wicket win.

During a discussion on his YouTube channel, Kaif stated: “Varun has gone slightly ahead of him (Kuldeep). Both are outstanding bowlers, but if you have to pick one, Varun is ahead at this point in time. We saw this in the earlier match as well. Kuldeep did not play. Varun and Axar played. So the planning of Team India has become very clear. If there is a choice between Varun and Kuldeep, Varun is the preferred option, and he is that kind of bowler too. He has never disappointed.”

“You can bring Varun on whenever you want in the powerplay. Kuldeep does not usually bowl in the powerplay. Varun does. The captain will never hesitate to give Varun the fourth or fifth over, worrying that he might go for 20 runs. There is no such concern with Varun. He comes on and takes wickets in the fifth over, takes powerplay wickets, takes wickets in the middle overs, and later on as well,” he further added.

However, Mohammad Kaif also stated that Varun Chakaravarthy has come into the same league as speedster Jasprit Bumrah, adding that a captain is very lucky to have such players whom he can trust with the ball in pressure situations as well.

“A bowler like Varun, I think, comes to the Indian team only with great luck. A captain is very lucky to have a bowler like him, regardless of the situation or the conditions. Just like with Bumrah, when the captain can say, take the ball and change the game with a spell, Varun has now come into that same league. You can say, Varun, take the ball and get wickets,” he said.

“Varun has gone far ahead. If you talk about his control, earlier he used to bowl only the googly. Now he has learned leg spin as well. He knows that even if he gets hit for one or two balls, it’s okay, because he can get the batter out on the next ball. As a spinner, when you develop that belief in your bowling that even if you get hit it doesn’t matter because you can still take a wicket on the next delivery, that confidence is clearly visible in him,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.