A few seasons prior in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Varun Chakaravarthy began experimenting with a nuanced aspect of his craft—adding overspin to his deliveries. The change was neither immediate nor straightforward, but it has proven to be a career-defining move for the Indian spinner. A particular moment to note was during IPL 2023, when he deceived Jitesh Sharma with a sharply bouncing leg break. This dismissal not only reaffirmed Varun’s talent but also highlighted the benefits of incorporating overspin into his variations.
It was a long road to mastering this skill, requiring patience and persistence. Initially, Varun took incremental steps to integrate overspin into his existing arsenal, testing this new technique in smaller leagues like the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and the IPL itself. Fast forward one and a half years from his initial trials, everything came full circle when Varun recorded his career-best figures of 3 for 31 during a T20I match in Gwalior. Significantly, this was his first international appearance in three years.
Reflecting on his transition, Varun openly shared, “I used to be a side-spin bowler, but right now, I have completely shifted to being an over-spin bowler.” To many, this might seem like a minor technical tweak, but for Varun, it was a substantial overhaul that took more than two years to perfect. Beyond the physical adjustments, Varun had to work rigorously on the mental aspects of the game as well. The time away from the national squad, spanning 86 missed T20I games, provided him both the motivation and the space to focus on these improvements.
The return to the Indian team was emotionally charged for Varun, who described it as a “rebirth.” Speaking in an interview with Jio Cinema, he expressed what it felt like to don the national colors again: “After three long years, it was definitely emotional for me. It feels nice to be back in the Blues, it feels like a rebirth. I just want to stick to the process that I’ve been following in the IPL. I don’t want to get ahead of myself; I want to stay in the present.”
Varun’s journey back into form wasn’t an easy one. The mental strain of being left out of the squad was palpable. He would often wonder why his name wasn’t called and it was this longing, eventually, that fueled his comeback. “Whenever there was a squad that was announced, I used to feel like, ‘Why is my name not there?’ That kind of brought the motivation within me that I should not leave this.
. I should go all out and make a comeback,” Varun recollects, emphasizing the significance of domestic cricket in his revival.
In his comeback match, nerves and a bit of rust showed during his first over—it didn’t go as planned, yielding 15 runs. However, demonstrating a seasoned temperament, Varun shook off the initial setback. With encouragement from teammates like Suryakumar Yadav, he was granted another opportunity to bowl in the same spell. This time, his effort bore fruit. Poetically, his first international wicket in three years mirrored a similar delivery, another leg spinner, that had bamboozled Jitesh Sharma earlier.
Changing ends proved beneficial for Varun as he continued to grow into his spell. Subsequent overs resulted in breakthroughs as Jaker Ali was outwitted by a deceptive googly and Rishad Hossain was caught off a leg break top edge—demonstrating Varun’s expanded repertoire and the depth he adds to the squad’s bowling attack.
His resurgence came amid internal competition from young talents like Ravi Bishnoi, yet Varun found unity in the rivalry. “There is good competition and there is good camaraderie also,” he notes. “And the person who was cheering me was Ravi Bishnoi; he was coming and telling me messages, so I can’t ask for more. It’s actually good to have such competition so that people will keep pushing each other.”
Despite the pressures and emotions surrounding his return, Varun remained grounded. His reflections after the game encapsulated his mindset perfectly: “I’m very happy to have contributed to the team. Yes, in the first over the catch could have gone my way but that’s how T20s are played. Every ball comes with different outcomes.” Importantly, his humility shines through, showcasing years of personal and professional growth that has molded him into the player he is today.
The odyssey back to India’s T20I side has indeed been arduous, and each wicket taken in Gwalior spoke volumes of his resilience. Through perseverance, technical adjustment and unwavering belief in his abilities, Varun Chakaravarthy has evolved beyond the label of a ‘mystery spinner.’ Now a master of his craft, his rebirth in the squad signals not just a personal triumph but a potential long-term asset for Indian cricket.