Can Varun Chakravarthy cure India's 'Head-ache' to avenge Ahmedabad heartbreak?
The stage is set for another epic clash between the two heavyweights of international cricket as India and Australia are set to lock horns in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India once again head into the knockout stages following a script which is reminiscent of their ODI World Cup 2023 campaign. The Rohit Sharma-led side is again looking like an indomitable force that is crushing every opponent coming in their way.
Hence, to stop the Indian juggernaut, it would require a herculean effort from the opposition to outclass the Men in Blue in favourable conditions of Dubai. However, much like the World Cup 2023, India will once again face their old nemesis Australia, who’ve been the reason behind their numerous downfalls in ICC events. Despite not having most of their first-choice players, the Steve Smith-led side is well on course to add another ICC Trophy to their glittering cabinet.
As India prepare to take on the mighty Aussies, they will have to find a solution to their ‘Head-ache’ – pun intended – given by the Australian batter Travis Head in recent times. The opening batter crushed the dream of a billion people with his match-winning century in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 and silenced the Ahmedabad crowd as promised by his captain Pat Cummins the day before.
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Travis Head: India’s nemesis across formats
Head has been the thorn in India’s flesh since 2023 with his tremendous exploits across formats. In the 16 matches (23 innings) played against his favourite opposition in all three formats since March 1, 2023, Head has scored 1205 runs at an average of 60.25 and a strike rate of 97.41 with four hundreds and as many fifties.
Be it the World Test Championship Final (WTC), ODI World Cup final, T20 World Cup or the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), Head has not spared India at all, butchering their bowling attack time and again with his flashing blade. With another rendezvous set with India’s Kryptonite, the Men in Blue desperately need to find a way to stop him.
India unleashed their mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in their final group fixture of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand. The wrist-spinner lived up to the expectations of the team management by scalping a five-wicket haul, playing just his second ODI. Chakravarthy has made a strong case for his selection in the semi-final as well, as he continues to bamboozle the batters with his spin-wizardry.
With most of the Australian batters having not faced Chakravarthy, the wrist spinner could well cause problems for their star-studded batting line-up and might also turn out to be the cure for India’s ‘Head-ache’. Chakravarthy is on a rapid rise in international cricket ever since his comeback to the Indian side in October 2024, having picked up 31 wickets from 12 T20Is at an astonishing average of 11.25 and an economy of 7.58. The 33-year-old has made even the fiercest hitters of the cricket ball look like novices, leaving them dumbfounded by his variations.
Can Varun Chakravarthy stop Head’s mayhem?
Hence, with India all set to face Travis Head without their star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, could Varun Chakravarthy be their best bet to dismiss him cheaply? The Indian bowlers have tried everything in their arsenal to see the back of Head with a low score against his name. However, the swashbuckling batter has managed to survive the most hostile spells as he continued to dictate terms with his belligerent strokeplay.
In his international career so far, Head has been dismissed 54 times against spin at an average of 37.14, which is slightly better than his average against pace (36.09). In ODIs, Head has lost his wicket 20 times against spin but boasts a healthy average of 43.50. From the outset, it might seem that India’s gamble of feeding Chakravarthy to Head early on in his innings might not yield a good result.
However, the fact that Head has never faced him in his career and given Chakravarthy’s current form, it’s a gamble worth taking by captain Rohit Sharma. Moreover, the southpaw looks fidgety at the crease early on in his innings and the variations of the Indian spinner could well catch him off-guard.
Hence, India can bank on the golden arm of Varun Chakravarthy to end their misery caused by the villain, who ruined their fairytale ending on 19th November 2023 in front of over 1.3 lakh people. It would be the perfect redemption for the wrist-spinner after he was made a scapegoat of India’s worst-ever T20 World Cup campaign in 2021 as he went wicketless throughout the tournament.
Head is hungry to pounce on his favourite prey, which was evident in his previous innings against Afghanistan as he scored a quick-fire fifty (59* off 40). The swashbuckling batter is all ready to spoil India’s party once again, and it’s up to Varun Chakravarthy and his teammates to find a cure for their ‘Head-ache’.
