Varun Chakravarthy deserved player of the series: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin, the former Indian cricketer, firmly believes that New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra was not the fair choice for the Player of the Series award in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. While Ravindra was identified for his all-round contributions, Ashwin feels that Varun Chakravarthy, India's mystery spinner, was the most poignant player of the tournament. 

India bagged their third Champions Trophy title with a thrilling and dominant win over New Zealand in the final game on Sunday in Dubai, being unbeaten throughout the tournament. According to Ashwin, Chakravarthy's performances played a pivotal role in India's victory, making him a more worthy candidate for the Player of the Series honor.

"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 brought that X-factor and the novelty factor. If I were the judge, I would have given it to Varun. He was the biggest difference," Ashwin stated on his Hindi YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat, as quoted by NDTV.

Ashwin specifically appreciated Chakravarthy’s match-winning spell in the final, where he outfoxed Glenn Phillips 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 reiterated. 

Regardless of missing the first two games, Chakravarthy completed his campaign with nine wickets in just three matches, showcasing his impact in the tournament. He will now turn his focus to IPL 2025, where he will rejoin the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the meantime, Rachin Ravindra is set to play for Chennai Super Kings, where he will be teammates with Ashwin.