Former India player turned commentator Irfan Pathan has named mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy as India’s X-Factor for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well. He has been the first-choice spinner in Gautam Gambhir’s regime as coach, claiming 31 wickets in 12 matches since his return as well.
“To think of someone as the X-Factor apart from Bumrah is quite difficult. Then there is Hardik and Axar, and you always think of all-rounders being the X-Factor. I am eager to see how Varun Chakaravarthy performs, because it will be kind of like a redemption story for him,” Irfan Pathan said in a special interaction organized by Sony Sports Network.
“He was there in that 2021 WC in the UAE and he did not do well, so I will have an eye on him because he is in solid form now, and he is confident. So out of all these names, to choose one, I’ll go with Varun. We have two exceptional all-rounders (Axar and Hardik) that bat in the top seven, and when we have two such players that can give you four overs, you have the freedom to set any bowling combination that you want. When you have so many bowling options, you can add some serious depth to the batting, say even Dube can play at No. 8,” he again said.
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“Not necessarily at No. 8, but you have the option of shuffling the batting order. The final combination might be determined by the kind of pitches and dew, but I would go with Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Abhishek Sharma,” he further added.
Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan also said that Rinku Singh might struggle to find a place in the playing XI in this particular setup as well.
“I think all-rounders will be given preference, especially that No.8 slot. But this guy, Rinku Singh, first of all, he was very unfortunate to miss out on the 2024 T20 World Cup squad. I hope he does well when he gets a chance, but as of now, as far as I am concerned, all-rounders will be picked over him,” Irfan Pathan concluded.
