He began playing cricket as a wicketkeeper. But then he quit the sport to focus on his architecture degree.
He completed the degree, but there was still an unfinished dream to pursue: to play for India. So he left architecture and resumed cricket as a pacer.
Fast bowling didn’t really click. So he turned to mystery spin to bring his India dream alive.
This is Varun Chakravarthy’s story. The leg spinner has been delivering tough spells in T20I cricket.
Here we will look at Varun Chakravarthy’s year-wise bowling stats in T20Is.
Varun Chakravarthy T20I Wickets Year wise
| Year | Inns | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR | 4W/5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6 | 2 | 1/18 | 66.00 | 5.87 | 67.50 | 0/0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 17 | 5/17 | 12.41 | 7.54 | 9.88 | 0/1 |
| 2025 | 18 | 36 | 5/24 | 13.19 | 7.09 | 11.17 | 1/1 |
| 2026 | 15 | 20 | 3/7 | 24.15 | 8.94 | 16.20 | 0/0 |
| Overall | 46 | 75 | 5/17 | 17.35 | 7.59 | 13.72 | 1/2 |
Key Insights on Varun Chakravarthy’s Year-Wise T20I Bowling Stats
Chakravarthy’s Early T20I Career Performance
Chakravarthy made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021. He had a decent outing, taking one wicket for 28 runs in the first T20I in Colombo.
The leggie then played in the 2021 T20 World Cup, but returned without a single wicket, losing his spot in the squad.
2021 was, overall, a forgettable year for Chakravarthy. His average of 66 was the seventh-highest (minimum one wicket) and his strike rate of 67.50 was the worst by a full-member bowler in T20I that year.
Chakravarthy’s T20I Comeback and Record-Breaking Spells in 2024
It was in October 2024 that Chakravarthy returned to the Indian squad.
On his return, he picked up figures of 3 for 31 against Bangladesh in the 2024 Gwalior T20I. This is the second-best bowling figure by an Indian spinner against Bangladesh in a home T20I.
A month later, he delivered the joint-best bowling figures for India against South Africa in T20Is. He claimed 5 for 17 in the 2024 Gqeberha T20I. These are his best T20I career bowling figures.
The 5 for 17 spell is also the best by an Indian bowler in a losing cause in T20Is.
Chakravarthy finished the 2024 South Africa tour with 12 wickets in four matches. This is the most wickets by an Indian bowler in a bilateral T20I series against South Africa.
He ended 2024 as India’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, with 17 scalps in seven outings.
He had the best bowling strike rate of 9.8 among full-member bowlers in T20Is in 2024 (minimum 150 balls bowled).
Chakravarthy also had the second-best bowling average of 12.41 for India in 2024 (minimum 10 wickets taken).
His economy rate of 7.53 was, however, the second-worst by an Indian bowler in 2024 (minimum 150 balls bowled).
Chakravarthy’s Dominant 2025 Season
Chakravarthy carried the form in 2025, taking 36 wickets in 18 innings, the joint-most by a full-member bowler in T20Is that year.
His strike rate of 11.16 was the lowest (minimum 200 balls bowled) and his average of 13.19 was the third-lowest (minimum 10 wickets taken) by a full-member bowler in T20Is in 2025.
He had the second-lowest economy rate of 7.08 for India in T20Is in 2025 (minimum 200 balls bowled).
Chakravarthy took 14 of his 36 wickets in the five-match series against England. This is the most wickets by an Indian bowler against any opponent in a bilateral T20I series.
Seven of his scalps came in the 2025 Asia Cup, the joint third-most by an Indian bowler in an edition of the continental tournament.
The leg-spinner wrapped up 2025 with 10 wickets in the three-match South Africa series. This made him the first bowler to take 10 or more wickets against the same opponent in two bilateral series.
Chakravarthy’s 2026 T20 World Cup Campaign
Chakravarthy made his second T20 World Cup appearance in 2026. He claimed 14 wickets in nine innings, the joint-most by a bowler in the 2026 edition, along with Jasprit Bumrah.
This is, overall, the joint third-most wickets by an Indian bowler in a T20 World Cup edition.
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