'He keeps motivating me' - Indian spinner credits Gautam Gambhir ahead of Asia Cup selection

Published - 18 Aug 2025, 14:23 IST | Updated - 18 Aug 2025, 14:41 IST

With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) looking to announce the squad for the Asia Cup 2025 on August 19, all eyes are on spinner Varun Chakravarthy. With the tournament scheduled to begin on September 9 in the UAE, Varun has come out to be a strong contender for selection and has openly credited head coach Gautam Gambhir and T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for backing his comeback to the Indian side. India, placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, will begin their campaign on September 10. With spinners expected to play a crucial role in UAE conditions, Chakravarthy’s name has been right at the top, especially after his impressive returns in white-ball cricket.

Having already taken 33 wickets in just 18 T20Is, including two five-wicket hauls in recent months, Varun has shown that he can deliver in pressure situations. He also played an important role in India’s successful ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign earlier this year, picking crucial wickets in Dubai. Varun opened up about how he used his month-long break after the IPL to prepare for the upcoming challenges.

"The Asia Cup is coming up, and for the white-ball players, they have got a good break after the IPL. I did play TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League), but still I have got a one-month break right now. It has been a good time to work on my strength and conditioning, fitness, my bowling, my batting, and everything. I got time to rejuvenate my entire self in a holistic way. Feeling better because I got a lot of time to spend with my kid, my wife, my parents. Yes, I think, I have put in the hard yards. Now, the rest is up to the bigger force," he said.

Varun spoke about the influence of Gambhir and Suryakumar in guiding his comeback. He revealed that before the Bangladesh tour, Surya had assured his place in the team and also praised Gambhir's mentoring style.

"I am looking at you, let us see how the other things go, but I am keen on having you in the team set-up. Similarly, Gauti Bhai also has helped me a lot in my comeback, the way he motivates me. Even if we talk little, he has always given me good confidence and he has always told that "no matter who's going to ignore you, I will keep you in my plans for now". So, that kind of gave me confidence. And if you ask about Gauti Bhai as a mentor, then I would say he brings in a warrior mindset in the dressing room, which is very important and has worked for us at KKR and in the Champions Trophy," he said as quoted by Revsportz.