'He deserves all the recognition for what he has been doing': Suryakumar Yadav on Varun Chakaravarthy

NEW DELHI: India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav praised mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, stating that he has transformed into a mentally tougher player since his return to international cricket.
Chakaravarthy played a crucial role in India's dominant win over New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday, securing figures of 5/42 and helping the team top their group on the way to the semifinals.
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“The way he left in 2021 and the way he has come back, they are two different Varun Chakaravarthys,” Suryakumar said at an event. “He is mentally tougher now, but he also smiles a lot and embraces whatever happens on the field, which is a great quality for a cricketer.”

Chakaravarthy, who was benched for the first two group matches, proved to be a game-changing selection. Suryakumar expressed his happiness for the spinner, acknowledging his dedication and hard work since 2021.
“He deserves all the recognition for what he has been doing. I have been watching him closely and spoken to him multiple times since his comeback,” he added.
Discussing team selection, Suryakumar emphasised the importance of picking players based on their specific skills rather than focusing solely on all-rounders.
“At the end of the day, it's all about what skills you bring to the team. If a player’s skill set is in the best interest of the team, then you have to pick those bowlers,” he said.
On the leadership situation at Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar dismissed any concerns despite the presence of multiple Indian team captains in the squad. “When we are in our Mumbai Indians setup, it feels like a family. We don’t think about having three or four captains; we operate as one team,” he said.
Mumbai Indians, led by Hardik Pandya, also feature India’s Test captain Rohit Sharma, T20I skipper Suryakumar himself, and Jasprit Bumrah, who captained India in two Tests in Australia.
“Yes, we have several captains in the team, but when we sit together, whether it's five, seven, or ten of us, we make collective decisions on how to steer the team forward,” he explained.
At 34, Suryakumar remains committed to playing across all formats. “I started with red-ball cricket, then moved to white-ball formats, and eventually played ODIs and T20Is. I enjoy the game with passion and take one format at a time,” he concluded.