Varun Chakravarthy trolls critics of ICC's favouritism for India

India ended their long wait for an ICC ODI title in style, securing the Champions Trophy 2025 with a thrilling four-wicket victory over New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. While the win was widely celebrated, it was Varun Chakravarthy's social media post that sparked a new debate.

The Indian spinner, who played a key role in the triumph, took to Instagram after the victory, sharing a picture of himself sipping coffee beside the Champions Trophy. His caption,  "A lot of distance was travelled to get a taste of this Cup," was seen as a subtle response to critics who accused India of benefiting from a favourable tournament schedule.

Chakravarthy's post quickly gained attention, not just for its apparent nod to the scheduling controversy but also because some believed it was aimed at Pakistan’s spinner Abrar Ahmed. Before Ramzan, Abrar had shared a post enjoying tea, captioned: "Having the last cup of FANTASTIC evening TEA before Ramadan begins."

Given the intense India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, fans speculated whether Chakravarthy’s post was a cheeky reply to Abrar’s earlier tea reference. However, the Indian spinner did not mention any names, leaving room for interpretation.

Meanwhile, the tournament’s scheduling controversy remained a hot topic.

Several teams, including New Zealand and South Africa, raised concerns over excessive travel impacting player fatigue and performance. A Tribune report revealed that New Zealand covered the most distance—7,048 km—travelling between Karachi, Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Dubai, while South Africa also endured a tough 3,286 km journey. In contrast, India played all their matches in Dubai, avoiding the travel burden faced by other teams.

Despite the debate, India’s on-field performance was dominant. Varun Chakravarthy was among the tournament’s standout bowlers, finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Mohammed Shami with nine wickets. His best performance came against New Zealand in the group stage, where he claimed a five-wicket haul. In the final, his spell of 2-45, including the key wicket of Will Young, helped restrict New Zealand to 254 runs, setting the stage for India’s successful chase.