Former India opener Virender Sehwag raised questions after Varun Chakravarthy faced criticism for his performance against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026. The mystery spinner had started the tournament strongly, taking nine wickets in his first four matches, before his form dipped during the Super Eight stage.
Sehwag pointed out that Abhishek Sharma has managed just one fifty in the World Cup but continues to receive strong backing from the team management. He argued that Varun should be given the same support, adding that there is no guarantee a replacement bowler would perform better than him.
“Even Abhishek Sharma isn’t doing well. So, if you are backing him, what’s the issue with backing a bowler? It is people’s job to criticise. If you are playing a batter who has only one fifty in his last 5-6 innings and if you tell a bowler that you have conceded runs in the last three games, so we are looking for a different bowler, what is the guarantee that the replacement bowler will do well?,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag further defended Varun by stating that the pitches in Kolkata and Mumbai for the West Indies and England matches were flat, and he still managed to pick up a wicket. Despite his form dipping in recent games, Varun remains the joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition with 13 wickets from eight matches.
“The thrashing he (Chakravarthy) got against West Indies and England, the pitches were quite flat. At least he took a wicket. There will be bowlers who just concede runs and don’t pick any wickets as well,” Sehwag said.
Speaking about the match, India stormed into the final, becoming the second team to secure a spot in the summit clash after edging past England in a thrilling semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium. Batting first, India posted 253/7, with Sanju Samson leading the innings with an 89 off 42 balls, while Ishan Kishan (39) and Shivam Dube (43) added crucial runs to power the Men in Blue to an imposing total.
England responded strongly in the chase, with Jacob Bethell smashing 105 off 48 balls to keep the contest alive. However, spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya ensured the defending champions held their nerve at the death to seal the win and book their place in the final.
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