Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has revealed his dream T20 XI, and in a surprising move, he left out two of India’s biggest names — Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Chakaravarthy made his T20I debut for India under Kohli’s captaincy during the 2021 T20 World Cup and also played under Rohit Sharma earlier this year when he made his ODI debut.
In a candid chat with Ravichandran Ashwin, Chakaravarthy was asked to pick his all-time T20 XI, but with one condition: he could only choose players he has shared the field with. Despite India’s success with the Kohli-Rohit opening duo, especially during their T20 World Cup-winning run last year, Chakaravarthy opted for a different pair at the top.
Instead of the senior Indian openers, he picked Jos Buttler and Travis Head to open the innings. Suryakumar Yadav was the only Indian batter to make it into the top order, slotting in at number three. The middle-order includes West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran, South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen, and India’s Hardik Pandya.
Chakaravarthy, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, also included his franchise teammates Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, two of the biggest match-winners in the format. Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan joined Narine as the second spinner in the XI.
For the pace attack, Chakaravarthy went with India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and Sri Lanka’s rising star Matheesha Pathirana, known for his slingy action and lethal yorkers.
Chakaravarthy has been a key figure for India recently. He played a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 triumph, picking up nine wickets in three matches at an impressive average of 15.11 as India won the title for the first time in 12 years. He is expected to return to action in August when India tour Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series followed by three T20Is.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s Dream T20 XI:
Jos Buttler, Travis Head, Suryakumar Yadav, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, Hardik Pandya, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Matheesha Pathirana
