“You don't want your main bowler to sit out” - Ajinkya Rahane slams team management for resting Varun Chakravarthy

Former Indian middle-order batter and analyst Ajinkya Rahane has slammed the Indian team management for resting Varun Chakravarthy in the third T20I of the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand, in Guwahati.

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While India secured a comfortable eight-wicket win to bag the series 3-0 with two more games left, Rahane, while speaking exclusively on Cricbuzz, has asserted that the team’s main bowler shouldn’t lose his rhythm after being rested ahead of the much-awaited ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. 

"After this five-match series, your playing XI should be ready. Going into the World Cup, Varun Chakaravarthy is your main bowler and bowling in this format is all about rhythm. You don't want your main bowler to sit out just before the World Cup,” Ajinkya Rahane told Cricbuzz.

“You don't know how it is going to play in Varun's mind. Even if the management tells him that we are just resting you, we are trying out Ravi Bishnoi. I would have personally loved to see Varun Chakaravarthy play all the games," the former middle-order batter added.

"You can't think like that, it is out of your control. You don't want to think about your combination getting into the World Cup. I think the playing XI that they put out in the first game is the ideal XI. That combination looked really good," he concluded.

Delving into the details of the third T20I, New Zealand was tasked to bat first after losing the toss. They managed to post only 153/9 in 20 overs, courtesy of Glenn Phillips' 48-run knock. Jasprit Bumrah was the star bowler with three wickets.

In response, India finished the game in 10 overs with eight wickets in hand. Abhishek Sharma (68*) and Suryakumar Yadav (57*) were the star batters in the chase. India and New Zealand will play against each other in the fourth T20I on Wednesday, January 28 in Visakhapatnam.

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