“A lot of distance was traveled” - Varun Chakaravarthy takes subtle dig at ‘unfair advantage’ criticism after 2025 Champions Trophy win [In Pictures]
Varun Chakaravarthy has taken a dig at the critics who claimed India had the unfair advantage of playing the 2025 Champions Trophy at a single venue. Dubai notably hosted all of the Men in Blue's games, including the final, where they defeated New Zealand to win their third title.
Chakaravarthy emerged as India's finest bowler with nine wickets in three appearances at an average of 15.11. His best figures of 5/42 came against the Black Caps in the league stage.
It was the first ICC event for the mystery spinner since he was dropped after a disastrous 2021 T20 World Cup. In fact, he made his ODI debut against England earlier this year.
Chakaravarthy grabbed eyeballs by spinning the web around the opposition batters and playing a key role in India's Champions Trophy victory.
The 33-year-old took to Instagram on Monday to share a picture of him enjoying a cup of coffee while holding the silverware. His caption was a subtle dig at people who felt that India were in a comfortable spot playing all their games in Dubai, while other teams had to travel from Pakistan to the UAE. He wrote:
“A lot of distance was travelled to get a taste of this Cup.”
Ravichandran Ashwin feels Varun Chakaravarthy was the right choice for POTT award
The legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opined that Varun Chakaravarthy should have been adjudged the Player of the Tournament (POTT) in the Champions Trophy. New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra was a recipient of the award for scoring 263 runs and picking three wickets.
As per Ashwin, Chakaravarthy made a strong impact despite playing only three games in the tournament. Here's what he said on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat':
"Whatever said and done, the Player of the Tournament, in my view, was Varun Chakaravarthy. He didn't play the entire tournament. He was such a big difference. If Varun Chakaravarthy wasn't there, I think this game would have been very different. He brought that X-factor and the novelty factor. If I were the judge, I would have given it to Varun. He was the biggest difference." (15:20)