Varun Chakravarthy Snubs Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma from his Dream T20 XI

Varun Chakravarthy himself has 33 wickets in 18 T20Is for the Indian cricket team at an average of 14.57, scalping two five-wicket hauls.

Varun Chakravarthy Snubs Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma from his Dream T20 XI

Varun Chakravarthy surprisingly did not pick Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma in his dream T20 XI. (Image via BCCI/screengrab)

Indian national team and Kolkata Knight Riders star Varun Chakravarthy was most recently asked to pick his all-time T20 XI. Surprisingly, the mystery spinner omitted Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two of India’s top white-ball cricketers, from his dream team.

Varun Chakravarthy has experienced an interesting cricketing journey, from being a professional architect to making his debut for the Indian cricket team. The 33-year-old mystery spinner was in fact a late bloomer, having come into the limelight only in 2018 after a successful Tamil Nadu Premier League season, following which he made his List A and first-class debuts, and was also picked up in the IPL. 

He has not looked back since then, picking up 100 wickets in 84 IPL matches at an average of 23.85. Chakravarthy has been a vital part of the KKR bowling attack since 2020, playing a crucial role in their 2024 IPL title victory.

On the international scene, Chakravarthy has taken a combined 43 wickets across four ODIs and 18 T20Is. He was also a member of India’s 2025 Champions Trophy-winning squad, where he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with nine scalps.

The World No. 2 T20I bowler, most recently opened about his career in an interview with former India star R. Ashwin on his YouTube show. Both spinners previously played together for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and for Punjab Kings in the IPL. In their recent conversation, Chakravarthy was given a daunting task by Ashwin, to name his all-time T20 XI, selecting only players he has played alongside in his career.

Varun Chakravarthy started out by naming his two openers, Travis Head and Jos Buttler. Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was picked at number 3, followed by Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen at no. 4 and 5, respectively.

He completed the middle-order by including Hardik Pandya at no. 6. West Indies’ all-round duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, who play alongside the Indian spinner at KKR came in next, followed by Rashid Khan.

Chakravarthy summed up his dream XI by picking Jasprit Bumrah and Matheesha Pathirana as his two fast bowlers. Surprisingly, the 33-year-old did not pick Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, despite the duo having done wonders in the shortest format for India. This decision is particularly notable given that Varun made his T20I debut under Kohli in 2021 and his ODI debut under Sharma’s captaincy during the 2025 ICC CT.

Chakravarthy’s decision to omit Kohli and Sharma from his all-time T20 XI puzzled many fans on the internet, especially since the iconic duo, who retired from T20Is last year, left the format as its highest run-scorers. Meanwhile, Chakravarthy is expected to feature in India’s white-ball tour to Bangladesh later this year.

India Faces T20I Challenge Against Bangladesh; Varun Chakravarthy, Abhishek Sharma Likely to Retain Places in Squad

The Men in Blue will take on Bangladesh in three T20Is and as many ODIs, in a tour to the neighbouring country in August 2025. India’s T20I squad is expected to feature several new faces, particularly after the emergence of many promising talents during the recent 2025 IPL season. 

Varun Chakravarthy India Bangladesh T20Is
Varun Chakravarthy and several others could retain their place in the Indian squad for the upcoming Bangladesh T20Is. (via Hindustan Times)

The Suryakumar Yadav-led team is expected to feature familiar faces, like Varun Chakravarthy, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. Meanwhile, several others are eyeing a return after strong 2025 IPL displays, including Shreyas Iyer, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Riyan Parag, Jitesh Sharma, and RCB’s IPL-winning captain Rajat Patidar.

Meanwhile, several young players are also be hoping to make it to the squad for the Bangladesh T20Is. The list includes Sai Sudharsan, Priyansh Arya, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Prabhsimran Singh, R Sai Kishore, Digvesh Rathi and Yash Dayal.