It has been ‘a long three years’ for Varun Chakaravarthy. Since going wicket-less in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the finger spinner has been out of the Indian team.
The disappointment of being ignored was replaced by relief and joy on Sunday, when Varun made a successful comeback. His three-wicket haul against Bangladesh in the first T20I here signalled good times to come.
“It has been a long three years. Whenever the India squad for a series was announced, I used to think, ‘Why is my name not there?’ I would keep thinking about it. That brought motivation in me that I should go all out and make a comeback,” Varun said in the post-match press conference.
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The 33-year-old made his way back to the Indian team on the back of strong shows in the last two editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Varun recorded 20 wickets in IPL 2023, and followed it up by finishing as the second highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024.
There was also a good run in the 50-over 2023-24 Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Varun was the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament.
On the technical front, Varun has made a major change. Over the last two years, Varun has transitioned from orthodox side-spin to over-spin, which affords more dip and bounce.
“I used to be a side-spin bowler, now I have completely shifted to over-spin. I slowly tested this in the TNPL [Tamil Nadu Premier League] and IPL,” Varun said.
Varun is happy to be under the wing of India head coach Gautam Gambhir. There is familiarity in this relationship, as Gambhir was the KKR Team Mentor in its IPL 2024 title run.
“He (Gambhir) is a man of few words. This is my first time with him in the Indian team, and I hope to spend more time with him,” Varun said.
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There is immense competition to grab the spinner’s spot in the Indian team, a fact that Varun acknowledges and relishes. At Gwalior, Varun and Washington Sundar entered the eleven ahead of Ravi Bishnoi. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, both of whom performed admirably in India’s recent T20 World Cup victory, are the forerunners for the attack.
“There is good competition and good camaraderie between us. The person cheering me in this match was Ravi Bishnoi. I cannot ask for more. Competition is very important, as it makes us push each other,” Varun said.
The Tamil Nadu cricketer was thankful to those who supported him when he was down for the count. “The first is my family. They have been through everything with me. All my adverse emotions - they have seen it. I must also thank the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), my TNPL team Dindigul Dragons and KKR. The management backed me. They gave me the tough overs so that I could improve my skills. I played all matches with full intensity; I never considered anything as high-level or low-level matches,” Varun said.
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