Former Indian National Cricket Team seasoned spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made a strong case for Varun Chakravarthy as the rightful recipient of the Player of the Series award in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. While New Zealand National Cricket Team Rachin Ravindra was awarded the title after India's emphatic victory in the final Ashwin expressed his belief that Chakravarthy’s performance played a pivotal role in India’s title triumph.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'Ash Ki Baat,' Ashwin passionately argued that Chakravarthy was the "X-factor" for India significantly influencing the outcome of key matches, despite not being part of India's initial Champions Trophy squad. Chakravarthy's inclusion came after his standout performances in the white-ball series against England Cricket Team and Ashwin believes his impact during the tournament was unmatched.

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"Whatever said and done, the Player of the Tournament, in my view, was Varun Chakravarthy. He didn’t play the entire tournament. He was such a big 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 said.

Ashwin also acknowledged India's unbeaten run in the tournament and took a moment to praise captain Rohit Sharma and the team's ability to secure the title despite the absence of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

“I am so happy for Rohit and Gautam Gambhir. Just spare a thought for GG. What must he be going through? Losing Test series against New Zealand, you have been losing a few. But you made a remarkable decision. There was no Jasprit Bumrah. Remarkably, this Indian team won the Champions Trophy without Bumrah,” Ashwin concluded.