WATCH: Comedy of errors as Varun Chakravarthy drops catch and kicks ball to boundary; leaves Indian teammates shocked

India began their defense of their 250-run target with a huge lapse in the field against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025. Varun Chakravarthy, playing his second ODI match, was the culprit on the field. The incident happened on the second ball of the fourth that Hardik Pandya was bowling. Pandya bowled a no-ball, which yielded a free-hit for New Zealand. 

Will Young, who was on strike for the free-hit, went for a huge slog down the ground. Varun Chakravarthy settled under the ball and what should be just one run went for four. The 33-year-old, under the guise of taking the catch, not only dropped the ball but also kicked the ball towards the rope for a boundary. 

Watch the video here

Varun Chakravarthy kya kar rahe ho..😯 4 runs gift.#INDvNZpic.twitter.com/brTiOaDnec

— Amit (@amit25joshi) March 2, 2025

It was key four runs for New Zealand, who have been set a challenging total on a pitch where spin is playing a huge part. Once the incident happened, some of the Indian players were lefty-shell-shocked, with Virat Kohli in particular muttering something with his hands closing his mouth. Rohit Sharma could only shoot a disappointed look at the lapse by the veteran spin bowler. 

Also Read:Champions Trophy: IND vs AUS Head to Head in ODI

Sanjay Manjrekar praises New Zealand’s fielding 

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar was one of the many former players who were left amazed by New Zealand’s fielding. The Kiwis took two great catches as Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson took blinders to dismiss Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. Indian batters found it tough as the Kiwis threw themselves on the field to stop runs. 

The former India cricketer took to Twitter and wrote, “Never seen such incredible fielding moments in one game! Wow, NZ!”. Even the likes of Suresh Raina and Aakash Chopra, who were on commentary duties, praised Phillips for his catch to dismiss Kohli for 11 runs. 

In comparison, India’s fielding effort wasn’t great to begin with and it was highlighted with Chakravarthy’s massive gaffe. Team India cannot afford to field poorly, as the likes of Australia and South Africa are also known to be terrific fielding sides. If India happens to win the game, they will take on Steve Smith’s Australian side on Tuesday.