Varun was in superb form in the Hazare Trophy.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
In the highly competitive Indian cricket arena, getting a second chance with the national team can be difficult, especially for players over 30. Varun Chakaravarthy, however, has managed to do just that. In 2021, the Tamil Nadu spinner made his international debut in T20s and played six games, including three at the 2021 T20 World Cup. However, he managed only two wickets before being dropped.
Over the next three years, the tweaker worked on his game, adding new weapons to his arsenal and found his mojo again by taking 41 wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders in the last two editions of the IPL.
This helped Varun return to the T20 squad last year, and he has since played the entire series against Bangladesh and South Africa. His second innings in national colours has proven remarkably fruitful, as he has taken 17 wickets in seven outings, including a maiden five-for against the Proteas at Gqeberha. Even as he cemented his place in T20Is, Varun has continued his good form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for TN.
On Thursday, he scalped his second five-wicket haul of the season, albeit in a losing cause in the pre-quarterfinals against Rajasthan. His efforts took him to the top of the charts with 18 scalps in six matches, prompting TN head coach L. Balaji to observe that the mystery spinner has done well to find success in the one-dayers and is shedding the perception of being a T20 bowler.
More importantly, the 33-year-old couldn’t have asked for a better time to up his game in this format, with the Champions Trophy next month. Considering there is still no clarity on Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness, Varun could be a dark horse as a wrist-spin option for the mini-World Cup.
“I am still learning, and I am doing well. I feel good about my bowling, but there is a long way to go,” said Varun when asked about his game.
On the changes he had made in the intervening three years, Varun explained that he had to focus on getting over-spin in his deliveries to succeed at the international level.
“The one thing I understood after the 2021 World Cup was that bowling side-spin would not work at the highest level because the pitches were very placid. So I went back to the drawing room and started thinking about what to do, seeing a lot of YouTube videos. Over-spin has more revolution, so the ball dips more. And when it dips, it extracts more bounce. So I found that to be more effective.”
“Till now, it has been good. I don’t want to take anything for granted. I have to keep upping my skill in every tournament coming my way,” remarked Varun.
Published – January 10, 2025 05:33 pm IST
