Ravichandran Ashwin on Champions Trophy 2025 Player of the Tournament: Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin believes that mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty proved to be ‘X-Factor’ for the Indian team in the Champions Trophy. His performance played an important role in winning the title for Rohit Sharma -led team. Chakraborty did not play throughout the tournament, but when he got a chance, he performed brilliantly and took full advantage of the support of captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Varun Chakraborty was not part of the Indian team initially. He was included in the team after a good performance in the White-Ball series against England.
Although at the end of the tournament, Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand was adjudged ‘Player of the Tournament’, Ashwin believes that Chakraborty should have received the award.
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, “According to me, the best player of the tournament was Varun Chakraborty. He did not play every match, but whenever he played, made a big impact. If he did not, the result could have been different. He surprised the opposing team with his spin bowling.” Ashwin especially mentioned the ball from which Chakraborty dismissed Glenn Philips of New Zealand. He said that Chakraborty adopted a great strategy and changed the attitude of the match with his bowling.
Apart from this, Ashwin also praised the Indian bowlers, who stopped New Zealand at 251 in the final. He said that the team won this trophy without Jaspreet Bumrah, which shows the depth and strength of Indian cricket. After the final, Chakraborty also admitted that he did not expect so much success. He said, “This is like a dream to come true for me. The pitch was not getting much spin, so I maintained discipline and paid attention to the basic things.” Varun Chakraborty emerged as one of the most influential players in India due to his great performance in the tournament.