From despair to hope is a resolve-testing heart-warming journey. Along the way, the protagonist has to conquer the demon of self-doubt.
There were periods during the last few months when Varun Chakravarthy thought he might never play cricket again.
The mystery spinner who was bought for a mind-boggling Rs. 8.4 crore by Kings XI Punjab, just played one IPL game, injured his shoulder and has not figured in competitive cricket since.
Under the circumstances when Varun - seemingly out of the radar - was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs. 4 crore, winning a bidding duel with Royal Challengers Bangalore, it came as a bolt from the blue.
For Varun this was a moment of redemption. He banished the negative thoughts - “My family played a big role in it” - he said.
He also, eager to get into shape, enrolled himself at Primal Patterns, that state-of-the-art and holistic fitness centre in Chennai run by the renowned Shankar Basu.
Then, Varun spent one-on-one sessions with Dinesh Karthik and Abhishek Nayar, “They helped me immensely. There was plenty of positive talk,” said Varun to Sportstar on Thursday.
Varun revealed, “At the same time, they did not give me any guarantee that I would be picked for KKR. Much depended on how I picked myself up.”
The 28-year-old spinner with variety and bounce then faced his biggest test. He was called to the KKR nets where his bowling came under the microscope.
Was Varun nervous? “Not at all. I just enjoyed my bowling. Sent down different kinds of deliveries. I did not feel any pain in my shoulder.”
And now he finds himself in the KKR mix. Varun is not afraid to dream. “I want to play for India in the ICC World Twenty20,” he declares.
Comments
SHARE