Former England opener Nick Knight believes India should immediately turn to Varun Chakravarthy whenever Harry Brook walks out to bat, especially in the high-pressure stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. However, Knight also warned that Chakravarthy must add more unpredictability to his bowling if he wants to consistently trouble England’s aggressive middle order.

Chakravarthy enjoyed a dream start to the tournament, finishing the group stage as one of India’s standout performers with 12 wickets. His mystery spin and clever variations played a key role in helping India dominate the early phase of the competition. But his impact noticeably dipped during the Super 8 stage, beginning with India’s heavy 76-run defeat to South Africa.

In that game at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Chakravarthy returned figures of 1/47, which stands as his third-most expensive spell in T20 internationals. The struggles continued in the following matches as well. He managed 1/35 against the Zimbabwe cricket team and 1/40 versus the West Indies cricket team, raising concerns about his effectiveness in crucial knockout games.

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Nick Knight feels England will try to target predictable patterns if Chakravarthy continues relying too heavily on one variation. “As soon as Brook comes into bat, I would put Chakravarthy on, whatever the stage of the match. At the moment, he is bowling a few too many googlies; it has become a little too predictable,” Knight said while speaking to The Indian Express.

“He might just need to add a little more variety rather than bowling more googlies than ever before. But he is a high-class bowler and will be a potent force for India,” he added.

Interestingly, England remains Chakravarthy’s second-favourite opposition after South Africa. The spinner has claimed 14 wickets in just five matches against them at an impressive economy rate of 7.66.

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Ahead of the crucial clash, Chakravarthy attended an optional training session where he was seen working closely with bowling coach Morne Morkel and fielding coach T Dilip, fine-tuning his variations. Meanwhile, India’s batting remains a concern for captain Suryakumar Yadav and the team management. With their left-heavy top order repeatedly targeted by off-spinners, India may yet rethink their team combination as the tournament reaches its decisive stage.