Former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Wasim Jaffer has raised concerns over the form of 35-year-old spinner Varun Chakaravarthy. The mystery spinner will next be in action when India face Afghanistan in a three-game T20I series, starting September 13 in Delhi.
During a discussion on his YouTube channel (Wasim Jaffer Official), the 48-year-old noted that batters seem to have figured him out. He added that batters no longer hesitate to play their shots against him when the ball lands in the hitting zone. He said:
“Varun Chakaravarthy should hopefully do well because, recently, there have been some difficulties for him. It seems that teams have figured him out a little. The batsmen have figured out how he bowls. Most of his deliveries come into the batsman, and the ball doesn’t go away. When the ball lands in the batsman’s hitting zone, they don’t hesitate to play their shots. They understand that Varun generally looks for the bat-pad gap. So, this will be a very important series for him.”
So far in 2026, Chakaravarthy has taken 19 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 24.57 and a strike rate of 15.7, with an economy rate of 9.34.
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During the same discussion, Wasim Jaffer noted that Afghanistan will pose a good challenge for India and could win a game. However, he added that Shreyas Iyer and Co. should win the series; otherwise, it would be a poor performance. He said:
“Afghanistan are dangerous in this format. So, overall, I feel India should dominate, but don’t be surprised if Afghanistan beat India in one match and pose a challenge. I don’t think we should take them lightly. I feel this will be a slightly challenging series. India should win the series, otherwise, it would obviously be a very poor performance.”
In head-to-head encounters, the two sides have faced each other nine times, with India winning eight matches and one ending in a no-result.
Edited by Dev Sharma