Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy shared his journey about making a comeback to the white-ball setup, stating that he had no vision of returning after being dropped in 2021. However, he kept motivating
himself to perfect his variations and accuracy to earn his place back in the national team.
In a conversation with Revsportz ahead of the T20I Asia Cup starting on September 9, where India will play their opener against hosts UAE the next day, Varun discussed his resurgence. The spinner, who has taken 33 wickets in 18 T20Is, aims to be a pivotal addition to the Indian team, having made a strong return to international cricket with two significant five-wicket hauls in T20Is and one in ODIs during the ICC Champions Trophy-winning campaign.
How Varun Chakaravarthy Made India Comeback?
Reflecting on his journey since the disappointing T20 World Cup 2021, Varun said, “Thank you so much for considering me an important bowler of the setup for the Indian team. It has definitely taken a long time to earn this spot, and as I have mentioned in many other places also that this journey has been long. I did not have a vision as to if I would make a comeback or not once I was dropped from the team, but I kept telling myself that if I get certain variations and accuracy levels, then I will be able to make a comeback into the team.”
He credited the IPL and domestic tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy for helping him gain confidence.
“That was the only motivating factor, and obviously, I had IPL as the platform to showcase whatever I was learning side by side. I also played a lot on the domestic side, like the Syed Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare Trophy and other tournaments. I used to travel all around India and play, which eventually gave me a lot of confidence. That was the main aspect of my comeback,” he added.
Varun admitted that during his three-year absence from the national team, he faced significant mental health challenges and lacked clarity about his future.”The main reason was not having clarity of whether I would ever make a return to the team. The only thing in front of me was IPL and the domestic leagues, and I am definitely grateful for having IPL, because many other cricketers don’t have that as well,” he continued.
He emphasised that his goal was always to return to the Indian side, and he constantly sought ways to improve himself. “After having good IPL seasons, I felt that I should have been in the team, but still, I was not there. So everything made sense when I was picked after a long time for the Bangladesh tour last year. Yes, that phase was challenging, but the only thing I had control over was going to practice at 5:30 in the morning, doing some spot bowling, and then coming back home to hit the gym in the evening. I kept pushing myself, and that is how it worked. Today, I would not regret any of that, because those hard times made me a better person and a better human being,” he added.
Varun also highlighted the fast evolution of cricket, particularly in T20s, necessitating constant development and meaningful variations.
“A few people just try some crazy actions, but in terms of developing a real skill with the ball, it takes a lot of time. Once I was away from the team post-2021, I had many variations in my mind. I had around eight variations, and I wasn’t excelling in any of those, so my goal was to excel in those one by one. Right now, if you ask me, I have 3 to 4 balls where I am an 8 on 10. I must keep improving and I do feel that in some time, I might hit my peak ability, but let’s see how things go. In cricket, certain things are not in our control, but still I am trying my best to keep evolving,” he concluded.
(With inputs from ANI)
