NEW DELHI: Spinner Varun Chakravarthy made a memorable ICC Champions Trophy debut on Sunday, producing a sensational five-wicket haul as India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs in their final group-stage match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. His performance helped India secure a semi-final clash against Australia after topping Group A with an unbeaten record.
Varun returned figures of 5 for 42, marking the best-ever bowling figures by an Indian in his Champions Trophy debut. He surpassed teammate Mohammed Shami’s 5 for 53 against Bangladesh in India’s tournament opener at the same venue. Overall, it was the second-best bowling performance by an Indian in Champions Trophy history, only behind Ravindra Jadeja’s 5 for 36 against West Indies in the 2013 edition at The Oval.