Varun Chakravarthy named three Indian players in his ideal T20 XI. Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy recently shared his dream T20 XI, notably excluding batting greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20 internationals after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
In a discussion with former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Chakravarthy was asked to pick his best T20 XI. However, Ashwin set a condition that Chakravarthy could only select players he had actually played alongside.
Chakravarthy has played under Kohli’s captaincy during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and was part of the Indian squad led by Rohit Sharma that clinched the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In his best T20 XI, he included three Indian players.
For the opening slots, Chakravarthy chose former England captain Jos Buttler and Australia’s Travis Head. He slotted in Suryakumar Yadav at number three. The middle order featured Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen.
Hardik Pandya and Andre Russell were his picks as pace all-rounders. In the spin department, he selected Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan. The pace bowling line-up included India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana.
Varun Chakravarthy’s Best T20 XI Excludes Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Jos Buttler, Travis Head, Suryakumar Yadav, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, Hardik Pandya, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Matheesha Pathirana make up Varun Chakravarthy’s ideal T20 lineup, notably leaving out big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The 33-year-old spinner played a crucial role in India’s triumph at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 earlier this year. He took nine wickets across three matches, finishing as India’s joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Mohammed Shami. To date, Chakravarthy has appeared in four ODIs and 18 T20 internationals for India.
Chakravarthy also enjoyed a strong season in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), emerging as the leading wicket-taker for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He claimed 17 wickets in 13 matches at an impressive economy rate of 7.66. Given his recent form, he is expected to be included in India’s upcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh in August.
