Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has asserted that Varun Chakravarthy deserved Player of the Tournament award in the Champions Trophy 2025.
While India triumphed over New Zealand in the ultimate game, the Black Caps’ opening batter Rachin Ravindra was named the Player of the Tournament.
Despite missing the side’s opening game due to an injury, the 25-year-old finished as the top run-scorer of the Champions Trophy 2025, with 263 across four matches including centuries against Bangladesh in their group game and South Africa in the semifinals.
For his batting masterclass, Rachin Ravindra was named the Player of the Tournament.
However, the decision did not sit well with former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who believed that Varun Chakravarthy was the most deserving player of the tournament instead of Rachin Ravindra.
“Whatever said and done, the Player of the Tournament, in my view, was Varun Chakravarthy. He didn’t play the entire tournament, yet he made a huge difference. If Varun Chakravarthy wasn’t there, I think this game would have been very different,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“If I were the judge, I would have given it to Varun. He was the biggest difference,” Ashwin added.
Read more: ICC announces Champions Trophy 2025 Team of the Tournament
Heaping praise on the India spinner over his bowling spell in the Champions Trophy 2025 final, Ashwin said that Chakravarthy made the biggest difference by removing New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips in the final with a well-disguised googly.
“Just look at how he dismissed Glenn Phillips. He wasn’t covering the stumps, so Varun went wide of the crease and bowled that googly. In my view, Varun has to be the Player of the Series. The award should be given to someone who made the biggest difference,” Ashwin said.
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