In the highly competitive Indian cricket scene, getting a second chance at the national team can be difficult, especially for players above the age of 30. However, Varun Chakaravarthy managed to do just that. The Tamil Nadu spinner made his international debut in T20 formats in 2021 and featured in six matches, including three in the 2021 T20 World Cup, but only managed to score before being dropped Two wickets.
Over the next three years, the tweaker worked on his game, adding new weapons to his arsenal and took 41 wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders in the last two editions of the IPL to find another of his magic.
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 the national colors proved to be very productive as he took 17 wickets in seven games, including his maiden five-wicket haul against the Proteas in Gokbehar.
Even as Varun consolidated his place in the T20s, he continued his good form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in TN.
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He conceded his second five-wicket haul of the season in the quarter-final against Rajasthan on Thursday. His efforts took him to the top of the charts with 18 scalps in 6 matches, prompting TN head coach L. Balaji to find out that the enigmatic spinner is having success in the one-dayers and is shaking off the T20 impression. Bowler.
What’s more, the 33-year-old is set to receive a trophy next month, making it the perfect time to improve his game in this format. With Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness still unclear, Varun could emerge as a dark horse in the mini-World Cup.
“I’m still learning and I’m doing well. I feel good about my bowling but there’s still a long way to go,” Varun said when asked about his game.
About the changes he has made in these three years, Varun explained that he had to focus on getting over-spin in his bowling to succeed at the international level.
“One thing I understood after the 2021 World Cup is that side spin in bowling doesn’t work at the highest level because the pitch is so calm. So I went back to my living room and started thinking about what to do and watched a lot of YouTube videos. Over spin has There’s more spin, so the ball sinks more and it bounces more, so I find that’s more effective.”
“So far, so good. I don’t want to take anything for granted. I have to keep improving my skills in every next game,” Varun said.
