Why is Varun Chakaravarthy not playing in India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I?

Varun Chakaravarthy - (Source: AFP)

On Sunday, January 25, India and New Zealand locked horns against each other for the third of a five-match T20I series in Guwahati. The Men in Blue are eyeing to clinch the series as the hosts lead the series 2-0. 

For the ongoing match, Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to field first. India made two changes in the playing XI. Jasprit Bumrah returned to the side after missing the second T20I and has replaced Arshdeep Singh in the team. Meanwhile, Ravi Bishnoi has also replaced Varun Chakaravarthy and will play his first game of the series. 

Why is Varun Chakaravarthy not playing in the 3rd T20I?

For the unversed, it is a tactical change, and there are no injury concerns. Varun has been playing consistently and been given a rest ahead of T20 World Cup 2026. More than the ongoing series, the upcoming tournament is of utmost importance, and the Men in Blue need Varun to be fully fit.

Talking about Varun, he is the no. 1-ranked T20I bowler and has played 22 T20Is since 2025, earning a much-deserved rest. Further, he has picked up 39 wickets since 2025 and has been India’s best performer going into the World Cup, even bettering Jasprit Bumrah’s stats, who won the player of the tournament award for his heroics in the previous edition.

Ravi Bishnoi returns after a year

Eyes are on Ravi Bishnoi, who returns to the Indian team after a year. Bishnoi's inclusion was a surprising one because the right-arm spinner was not in the scheme of things for the past year and had a poor IPL as well. Talking about his performance in IPL 2025, the 25-year-old picked up just 9 wickets in 11 innings.

However, Bishnoi had a great domestic season, where he picked up 28 wickets in 18 innings across tournaments. Therefore, the selectors deemed him fit to replace Washington Sundar. Interestingly, Bishnoi has amassed 134 runs in six innings in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Arshdeep Singh misses out after troubling 2nd T20I

Arshdeep Singh also made way for Jasprit Bumrah, who returned after missing a game. Arshdeep Singh looked out of form in the 2nd T20I, where he leaked 53 runs in four overs and went wicketless. India had to replace someone to fit in Bumrah, and Singh was the one because the rest are doing their job well.

Harshit Rana is delivering for India with the bat and also with the ball. Therefore there was no question raised on his position in the playing XI.

Talking about the ongoing match, at the time of writing this article, India are in a strong position and have reduced New Zealand to 35/3 after 5.2 overs. Further, both replacements are going strong.

Jasprit Bumrah took a wicket off his first ball, while Ravi Bishnoi contributed in the field and took a brilliant catch early on in the first innings.