India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021: Is Varun Chakravarthy the trump card for Virat Kohli in crunch games

India will open its T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on Sunday (October 24) in Dubai. Virat Kohli's side won both their warm-up games – the Men-in-Blue defeated England by seven wickets while the side registered an eight-wicket triumph over Australia.

Team India off-spinner Varun Chakravarthy. (Source: Twitter)

It is no secret that two cricketers who have been the focus of the Indian medical staff are Varun Chakravarthy and Hardik Pandya. While Varun’s knees are a cause of concern, the medical team has also been looking to get Hardik bowling ready. And it looks like the team management is looking to use Varun judiciously.

Speaking to news agency ANI, sources in the know of developments said the team management in consultation with the medical team has decided it is best to keep Varun as fresh as possible and use him in crunch games. “He is undoubtedly a match-winner in this format and the leadership group knows what four overs can mean in a big tournament like the T20 World Cup. The medical team has been working closely with him and Varun will be used judiciously. He is a trump card and Virat Kohli and the leadership group is looking to use him just like that,” the source said.

Asked if that means he could be kept away from a game if the stakes aren’t high, the source said: “Yes, that is exactly what the idea is. While the team is looking to have his services as much as possible, it is also clear that his knees aren’t a 100 per cent. So, he will be used as per the demands of the tournament. If it is a must-win or big game, you will see him out there weaving his magic with the ball. If the team is well placed and you can afford to give his knees a bit of a rest, the team might do that. But yes, MS Dhoni and Ravi Shastri will be right there to guide Kohli and Rohit Sharma in such a scenario.”

Spin is doing the trick for #TeamIndia! @rdchahar1 scalps his first wicket, dismissing Glenn Maxwell.

Australia 4 down. #INDvAUS #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/L35CUU6Dj0 — BCCI (@BCCI) October 20, 2021

India will open its T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on Sunday (October 24) in Dubai. While India won both their warm-up games – the Men-in-Blue defeated England by seven wickets while the side registered an eight-wicket triumph over Australia – Pakistan batting consultant Matthew Hayden on Thursday said that the T20 World Cup clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be a ‘dogfight’, and one team would not run away with the game.

(with ANI inputs)