Varun Chakravarthy has become one of India’s most dangerous T20 bowlers, especially when conditions offer grip and bounce. His mystery spin, unpredictable variations, and calmness under pressure make him a major threat for any batting lineup. Against South Africa, he has produced some of the best performances of his international career, including a stunning five-wicket haul, multiple match-winning spells, and a recent impactful performance in Cuttack.
This is the complete, easy-to-read breakdown of Varun Chakravarthy’s T20I bowling record against South Africa — including wickets, economy rate, best spells, match-by-match analysis, strengths, and overall impact.
Varun Chakravarthy vs South Africa – T20I Overall Bowling Stats
| Matches | Overs | Wickets | Best Figures | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 23 overs | 16 wickets | 5/17 | 11.62 | 8.08 |
Varun’s numbers show a top-level wicket-taker who performs consistently in pressure matches and continues to impact games whenever he faces South Africa.
Varun Chakravarthy Match-by-Match Performance vs South Africa
| Match | Ground | Overs | Wickets | Figures | Economy | Key Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingsmead | 4.0 | 3 | 3/25 | 6.25 | Rickelton, Klaasen, Miller |
| 2 | St George’s Park | 4.0 | 5 | 5/17 | 4.25 | Markram, Hendricks, Jansen, Klaasen, Miller |
| 3 | SuperSport Park | 4.0 | 2 | 2/54 | 13.50 | Hendricks, Markram |
| 4 | Wanderers Stadium | 4.0 | 2 | 2/42 | 10.50 | Miller, Simelane |
| 5 | Barabati Stadium, Cuttack | 3.0 | 2 | 2/19 | 6.30 | Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen |
| 6 | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium | 4.0 | 2 | 2/29 | 7.25 | Reeza Hendricks , Aiden Markram |
5-Wicket Masterclass: 5/17
Varun’s spell of 5/17 at St George’s Park stands out as one of the best T20I performances by an Indian spinner.
Key highlights included:
- Removing both openers and middle-order hitters
- Outthinking Aiden Markram with variation
- Cleaning up dangerous batters like Miller and Klaasen
- Maintaining an economy of just 4.25 while attacking constantly
This spell completely broke South Africa’s innings and changed the match.
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Consistent Wicket Taker
Varun dismissed South Africa’s biggest hitters multiple times across the series:
- David Miller (multiple times)
- Heinrich Klaasen (2 times)
- Aiden Markram (2 times)
- Reeza Hendricks (2 times)
- Rickelton & Jansen
His ability to remove set batters in the middle overs created pressure and opened opportunities for India to control the game.
Economy & Control
Even though two matches were played at high-scoring grounds (SuperSport Park & Wanderers), Varun still took wickets while restricting runs whenever the pitch supported his style.
Economy across his games vs South Africa:
- Best: 4.25
- Highest: 13.50
- Overall economy: around 8.26 runs per over across 19 overs
When conditions helped spin, he was almost unplayable. Even on flatter decks, he kept finding ways to take wickets.
What Makes Varun Effective Against South Africa?
1. Mystery Variation
South African batters struggled to read:
- The carrom ball
- Quick sliders
- Slow turning balls
- Subtle seam angles
This forced errors and mistimed shots.
2. Good Pace-Control
Varun varied his speed smartly:
- Slower balls for lofted shots
- Quicker deliveries for bowled/LBW chances
3. Attacking the Stumps
Most dismissals came from deliveries aimed at:
- Middle stump
- Leg stump
- Top of off stump
This kept the batters guessing constantly.
4. Pressure in Middle Overs
His breakthroughs in overs 7–15 repeatedly stopped South Africa from building partnerships and turned games India’s way, including his tight 2/19 spell in Cuttack where South Africa were bowled out cheaply.
Read more: Suryakumar Yadav vs South Africa T20I Stats
Varun Chakravarthy vs South Africa: Overall Impact
Varun Chakravarthy’s T20I record against South Africa highlights:
- High wicket-taking ability
- Match-winning spells
- Trouble for both right-handers and left-handers
- Control combined with aggression
With 14 wickets in just 5 matches, he stands out as one of India’s most dangerous spinners against the Proteas in T20Is and a genuine game-changer whenever he gets conditions in his favour.
