Ravichandran Ashwin, former Indian spinner, recently addressed criticism over his comments concerning the decision to bring mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy into the attack early during the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand.
Ashwin's initial reaction, shared on X, suggested that deploying Chakravarthy in the sixth over was "not ideal." However, the decision proved effective as Chakravarthy dismissed Will Young, breaking New Zealand's opening stand and setting the stage for India's spin attack, led by Kuldeep Yadav.
Following criticism from some fans who interpreted his remark as a critique of Indian captain Rohit Sharma's tactics, Ashwin clarified his position.
He explained that his comment was directed at New Zealand's aggressive start, which necessitated Chakravarthy's early involvement. Ashwin posted, "Wonder how this tweet is about captaincy? My god, this individual fanfare is madness. That tweet was for how NZ started forcing us to use Varun up front."
Chakravarthy concluded his spell with 2/45 from ten overs and ended the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker, with nine dismissals across three matches.
In the match, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat. They began strongly with a 57-run opening partnership between Will Young (15) and Rachin Ravindra (37 off 29 balls). Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) then turned the tide, reducing New Zealand to 75/3. A key innings from Daryl Mitchell (63 off 101 balls) and Michael Bracewell’s unbeaten 53 off 40 deliveries pushed New Zealand to 251/7 in their allotted 50 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy were India's standout performers with the ball, each claiming two wickets. Mohammed Shami also picked up a wicket but was expensive, conceding 74 runs over nine overs.
With the context clarified, Ashwin’s comments are understood to reflect the tension and strategies involved in this high-stakes match, highlighting the importance of in-game adaptability against aggressive opposition strategies.