Varun Chakravarthy. (Photo Credits: AFP)
“He was a mystery, and remains a mystery,” Ambati Rayudu once said about Varun Chakravarthy when he was a net bowler at Chennai Super Kings in his early years. At that time, not many people knew much about him or his unusual bowling style.
Varun’s international career did not begin smoothly. He had a tough game against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2021 in Dubai, which many fans remember as a disappointing outing. Around that period, he was ranked 151st in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I bowler rankings. It was a challenging phase, and questions were raised about his effectiveness at the highest level.
However, Varun did not give up. According to India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who had earlier worked with him at Kolkata Knight Riders, he is “very professional” in his approach. Over time, Varun worked hard to improve his skills and add more variety to his bowling.
Even earlier, his economy rate was usually under control. The bigger concern was that he was not taking enough wickets. To fix this, he expanded his range of deliveries. His variations include the googly, legbreak with sidespin, legbreak with overspin, carrom ball, and even a seam-up delivery. This makes him difficult to read.
The 34-year-old has also started running faster and using more strength in his actions. This helps him spin the ball harder and create more dip. Because of this extra dip and spin, batters often misjudge the length. They are unsure whether to play forward or stay back, which leads to mistakes.
After a disappointing campaign at the 2021 T20 World Cup, Varun Chakravarthy was out of the side for a long time before finally making a comeback. He did not get a chance to play in the 2024 T20 World Cup squad, but when he returned to the Indian T20I side in October 2024, he made sure to make an impact.
Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, Varun has taken more T20I wickets than any other bowler from a Full-Member nation. Before the big clash against Pakistan in the 2026 T20 World Cup in Colombo, he had already picked up 61 wickets. His strike rate was an outstanding 11.1. This was the second-best strike rate among Full-Member bowlers who had bowled at least 300 deliveries.
In the match against Pakistan, Varun took two wickets. He then followed it up with three wickets against the Netherlands. His role in the Indian team is clear and simple — control the run flow, confuse the batters, and take important wickets.
Former India captain Kris Srikkanth strongly praised Varun Chakravarthy. He even said that Varun is more dangerous in the current team than Jasprit Bumrah.
“Look at the pitch maps — most of his deliveries are around off-stump and middle-stump. Against right-handers, the ball just angles in slightly and then turns. His googly comes in sharply. Most of his wickets are from good length or just short of good length. Not even full deliveries. Even his so-called short balls are deceptive.”
“People don’t know what he’s bowling. Is it a googly? Is it the straight one? Is it slower? Is it quicker? No one knows. Suddenly he bowls one faster. Then he changes speed again. Multiple speeds. Long run-up, relaxed action — but incredibly deceptive.”
Srikkanth added that Varun consistently delivers match-winning performances but does not always get enough appreciation. “He’s casually delivering match-winning performances. But he’s not celebrated enough,” said Srikkanth.
Varun has already played ODI cricket for India and was part of India’s Champions Trophy-winning squad last year. However, he has played only one first-class match in domestic cricket. At 34, his chances of playing Test cricket may seem uncertain.
But considering his excellent performances in white-ball cricket and his wide range of variations, there is still a possibility that he could get a chance in the longer format. If he continues to perform consistently and trouble batters with his mystery spin, selectors might consider giving him an opportunity in Test cricket as well.
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