New Delhi, Jan 22 (NationPress) The former captain of India, Sunil Gavaskar, provided insights into the performance of spinner Varun Chakaravarthy while commending the overall team effort in the inaugural T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand. The Men in Blue celebrated a resounding victory in Nagpur, marking the commencement of their final preparations for the Men's T20 World Cup.

India set a challenging target by scoring 238/7 in their 20 overs, powered by opener Abhishek Sharma's explosive 84 off 35 balls, along with significant contributions from captain Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh. While the hosts quickly dismissed New Zealand's top-order batsmen Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra during the powerplay, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman steadied the innings for the visitors.

Nevertheless, the collective efforts of the Indian bowling attack, with timely wickets, secured a 48-run triumph for the reigning T20 World Cup champions at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.

Chakaravarthy, like his fellow bowlers, faced some challenges, finishing with figures of 2/37 in four overs. Gavaskar noted that the spinner seemed a bit rusty, yet acknowledged that maintaining an economy rate of 9.20 is reasonable when batsmen are aggressively seeking runs.

“Varun appeared slightly out of sorts, but that’s to be expected. He captured two wickets, and his economy was quite respectable under the circumstances. What stood out was his positive body language. In the past, his demeanor could suffer after conceding runs,” Gavaskar commented on JioStar.

“This time, however, he maintained an upright posture, undeterred by the sixes he conceded, which is a promising indicator. It reflects a player who often struggles with confidence in his abilities. He is indeed a magician, no doubt about it. His bowling is exceptional.

“In both this format and the 50-over game, he just needs to have the mindset that he’ll take two wickets in the next over—and he has that capability,” he continued.

The former opener further reflected on India's comprehensive performance, stating, “Winning the first game is certainly a positive. Within that victory, there are smaller milestones to achieve, but it’s always advantageous to start the year and a new campaign with a victory before the World Cup.

“Beginning with a win is always beneficial, so I have no complaints. India performed excellently to reach 238 and bowled effectively. While a few catches were missed, the overall performance was very encouraging.”