NEW DELHI: Legendary Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy for his performance in the first T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Gavaskar highlighted that Varun's body language remained positive despite conceding a few runs, calling it an encouraging sign for the team ahead of the T20 World Cup. The top-ranked T20I bowler also made a vital impact by picking up a couple of crucial wickets while giving away 37 runs in his four overs.

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"Varun looked a little rusty, but that's understandable. He picked up two wickets and the economy rate, when the batters are going hell-bent for leather, was pretty decent as well. The important thing is that his body language was good. Often, you know, his body language, sometimes when he's taken for a few runs, can be a little bit down. That didn't happen," Gavaskar said on JioHotstar.

"He (Varun) was walking back to the mark, upright, wasn't looking fazed by the fact that he'd been hit for a couple of sixes, and that's always a very good sign. He's a magician, make no mistake. He bowls brilliantly. So yes, in this format or even in the 50-over format, which will be expensive, he just has to believe, 'Yes, next over I'm going to get my two wickets,' and that's what he does." he added.

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Gavaskar felt India's opening T20I win was the perfect start to the new year and their World Cup build-up, saying it checked the most important box despite a few minor areas to fine-tune.

"You win the first game, that's a ticked box for sure. Yes, within that ticked box, there will be other small boxes to be ticked off, but you know it's always good to start the new year, a new campaign, with a win before the World Cup. I think it's always good to start with a win, so no complaints whatsoever. I think India did brilliantly to get to 238 and then they bowled really well. Yes, the odd catch went down, but all around the performance was very, very heartening," Gavaskar said.