Chakravarthy should take the ball away from a right-hander, says Kumble ahead of IND vs ENG T20 WC semi-final clash
Mar 04, 2026
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 4 : Legendary Indian cricketer Anil Kumble has suggested India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy take the ball away from a right-hander and then try to get the ball coming back into the batter, which Kumble believes will become much more dangerous.
Kumble's remarks came before India's high-voltage clash against England in the semi-final of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
"Maybe the analyst can probably pull out how many times is he looking to actually take the ball away from a right-hander. I haven't seen that much. Maybe that's something that he could potentially do. Then, the ball coming back into the right-hander becomes that much more dangerous," Kumble said as per ESPNcricinfo.
However, Kumble also feels that the batters are not able to pick that every time Chakravarthy bowls, and they are only expecting the ball to come into them.
"Although the batters are not able to pick that every time he bowls, now it seems like the batters are only expecting the ball coming into them, and playing him that way, rather than sort of searching for it. So, maybe he needs to mix a few balls, which goes away from the right-hander, and then possibly bring that back in," Kumble added.
Chakaravarthy is India's highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2026 edition. In seven matches, the mystery spinner has scalped 12 wickets at an average of 15.33.
The defending champions qualified for the semi-finals after they defeated the West Indies in the Super 8 fixture at the Eden Gardens.
Sanju Samson's explosive, unbeaten 97-run knock off 50 balls, with the help of 12 fours and four sixes, guided the Men in Blue to a five-wicket win.