Varun Chakaravarthy Receives ICC Men’s Player of the Month Nomination

Dubai, Feb 6 (NationPress) Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has received a nomination for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for January 2025, thanks to his exceptional performances in the new year.

Chakaravarthy will be in contention against two other spinners - Jomel Warrican from West Indies and Noman Ali from Pakistan - for this esteemed monthly accolade.

The Indian bowler has maintained his brilliant form since donning the Indian jersey again in October 2024, participating in four T20Is against England at home in January. His bowling proved to be devastating from the outset, with English batsmen finding it difficult to decipher his spin.

In the opening match at Eden Gardens, Chakaravarthy delivered an impressive performance with figures of 3-23, which earned him the Player of the Match title. In Chennai, he gave away 38 runs but took vital wickets, including Harry Brook and Jamie Overton. It was in Rajkot, during the third T20I, where he truly highlighted his talent, spinning through the English batsmen to secure five wickets for just 24 runs.

He added another two wickets in the fourth T20I in Pune. In total, Chakaravarthy claimed 12 wickets at an average of 9.41 and an outstanding economy rate of 7.01.

Jomel Warrican produced a career-best performance in Pakistan, aiding the West Indies to a series draw against the Asian team. On the spin-friendly surfaces of Multan, Warrican posed considerable challenges for the host side.

In the first Test, he recorded career-best bowling figures of 10/101 and scored an unbeaten 31, although the West Indies lost by 127 runs.

Refusing to be disheartened, Warrican rebounded in the second Test, taking four wickets in the first innings followed by a five-wicket haul in the second, culminating in match figures of an impressive 9-70.

Alongside his wicket tally, he made a substantial contribution of 54 runs as the West Indies clinched victory in the second Test, ensuring the series concluded in a draw.

In total, Warrican scored 85 runs at an average of 42.50 and took nine wickets at an exceptional average of nine, earning him the Player of the Series title.

Conversely, Noman Ali sustained his remarkable form for Pakistan, acting as their primary strike bowler against the West Indies.

In the first Test, he secured six wickets for 81 runs. However, it was in the second Test that he truly demonstrated his prowess.

Noman achieved six wickets in the first innings of the second Test, including a historic hat-trick, becoming the first Pakistani spinner to accomplish a Test hat-trick. He continued his impressive display by taking four wickets in the second innings, finishing with match figures of 10-121.

Overall, Noman took 16 wickets at an average of 12.62 and scored 15 runs in January.