"I feel much better than I was in 2021" - How Varun Chakaravarthy's storeys continue to rise after myriad of disputes

“I’m starting to handle my lows better and my highs also better.”

It is very important to be equanimous in life. Even more so in sport, where the odds of having a good day are same as that of a bad.

Varun Chakaravarthy was having the time of his life in 2021. He took the joint-most wickets (18) by a spinner in that IPL. He made his India debut in the Covid-induced IPL hiatus, playing three T20Is in Sri Lanka. And the icing on the cake was getting picked as a strike bowler for the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

Stop the clock, you’d say! But time spares no one. Sometimes the winds of change blow so fast that you remain privy only to the aftermath.

Varun hasn’t played for India ever since that unceremonious exit in the group stage. It seemed like a free fall as the mystery bowler started being found out, with batters easily picking him in IPL 2022. His envious economy rate shot up and the returns basket dried up – he picked up 6 wickets at 8.51 from 11 games that season.

“It was tough, but I’m used to it now. Ups and lows are just part of cricket, and I’m starting to handle my lows better and my highs also better. Last season, I did struggle in handling my failures. But I knew that if I could recognise what was going wrong and what mistakes I was doing, I would be able to bounce back,” Varun Chakaravarthy said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

It is more frustrating when the accident happens because of the other car’s fault. But it is equally important to take confidence from the fact that you were on the right track.

“Yeah it didn’t go well for the team and for me, based on results. But personally, I felt I bowled really well in that World Cup. Just that we couldn’t create enough scoreboard pressure – there were other factors which affected how I bowled. But if you ask me, I personally felt I bowled really well,” Varun stated.

In the two decisive matches against Pakistan and New Zealand, the batters failed to put enough runs on the board and the bowlers thus could barely tighten the noose. Against Scotland though, the minnows were bowled out for 85 but India were already all but out of the tournament.

“People are looking only at the results. No one looks at what happens behind the scenes, what process is being followed. No one goes into the details and tries to understand what is happening and why it is happening. But I felt I was bowling my best at that time. Just because few other things didn’t go my way in the matches, I couldn't leave a mark. But it’s fine, that’s how it is. Cricket is a result-based game and I am open to accepting that,” he added.

Even though there were no wickets to show for, Varun performed the sharpshooter role with aplomb. Of the 11 overs he bowled, six of them came in the powerplay and were accounted for just 27 runs. His PP economy was even less than Jasprit Bumrah’s 4.89. The ace pacer, though, bowled three more overs and scalped four victims.

But when you are down, the only way is up. Like all things life, bad times are equally fleeting. Varun had his best ever IPL season this year, taking 20 wickets at a phenomenal strike-rate of 15.80. If you speak to the 31-year-old, you’d instantly figure he’s got a ticking brain. He knows exactly the portions to erase in order to complete the circle. He’s been a professional architect, after all.

“It definitely felt good. I did lose my way last year because I was trying too many variations. But this season, I worked more on the basics – revolution, release point, line and length – so it definitely helped me perform better,” the 2012 SRM graduate affirmed.

The new-found confidence in his abilities and from his IPL performance rubbed off on the recently-concluded TNPL as well. While the Tamil Nadu lad iterated he hasn’t looked to add new tricks to his armoury, he confirmed that he’s putting more emphasis on death bowling.

Delve deeper and the numbers would paint the same picture.

	IPL 2023	TNPL 2023
Matches used in PP	13 out of 14	5 out of 9
Matches used at Death	11 out of 14	7 out of 9
PP overs	16	5
Death overs	13	7
PP runs	133	24
Death runs	111	70
PP wickets	5	2
Death wickets	4	2
PP economy	8.31	4.8
Death economy	8.53	10

In nine matches for the Dindigul Dragons, he bagged 13 wickets at an impressive economy and strike-rate of 6.52 and 16.61, respectively.

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Architecting a dreamland

Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed MS Dhoni twice in two matches in IPL 2020 [Credits: Varun/Instagram]

Everyone knows the architecture story. But the way he jumped from one building to the other, and successfully, would put even Tom Holland to shame.

Till 2007, Varun Chakaravarthy was his school’s wicketkeeper-batter. It was after he was unable to break through age-group cricket that he decided to pursue the five-year course in architecture from SRM University, Chennai. His love for cricket again rekindled in 2014, when he was juggling his job at an architecture firm with playing tennis-ball cricket. By then, he was a fast bowler.

He turned the next corner two years later when he shifted from tennis ball to leather. Playing for CromBest Recreation Club, he excelled as a seamer, so much so that he graduated from fourth division straight to first division.

“I didn’t have any long-term expectations when I was playing fourth division. The short-term goal was just to earn monthly income through cricket so that I can support my lifestyle. I didn’t expect I would go onto play TNPL, first division, then Tamil Nadu, then IPL, then India. I didn’t expect any of those things,” Varun told Sportskeeda.

But as luck would have it, he injured his knee in the very first match and was sidelined for six months. Fast bowling suddenly seemed a distant reality.

We can now call that mishap, destiny. In that low phase of 2016, Varun started honing his carrom balls and googlies. He returned to the set-up as a spinner, one with a bagful of tricks – a mystery spinner.

The then 26-year-old was back again in the fourth division, but he was creating waves across Chennai. In the 2017-18 day-cricket season, Varun picked up 31 wickets in seven matches for Jubilee Cricket Club at an astonishing average of 8.26 and economy of 3.06. He also struck an unbeaten 74 to see his club over the line in one game.

A big validation came in the form of his maiden TNPL contract with the Madurai Panthers. The franchise, which had not won a single game in the previous two seasons, went onto lift the trophy in 2018. Varun returned mindboggling figures of 4-1-9-2 in the final against the Dindigul Dragons. His economy of 4.70 was the best among those who bowled more than 12 overs.

The breakthrough helped Varun join hands with Vijay Cricket Club, one of the prestigious teams in the Chennai league. And in his very first year, again, the team won the VAP Trophy beating Madras Cricket Club in the final. It led to his maiden call-up to the Tamil Nadu side for the 2018/19 Vijay Hazare Trophy.

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IPL comes calling

Varun Chakaravarthy made his IPL debut at Eden Gardens on March 27, 2019 [Credits: PBKS]

Varun Chakaravarthy was on the lips of scouts across the country. He had been called for trials at CSK and KKR before TNPL 2018, and at MI afterwards. But it was the erstwhile Kings XI Punjab who snaffled him for a whopping ₹8.4 crore at the 2019 auction.

The first toll in a while wasn’t too far away, though. His very first over went for 25 runs, which was the most conceded by a debutant in the IPL. Although he dismissed KKR’s Nitish Rana, Varun didn’t play anymore that season.

But again, scorecards can be quite a smokescreen at times.

“At that time, I did have lots of doubts in my head. Because I was carrying an injury at that time, which is right now all sorted. But at that time, it was affecting my mind and my mind was totally clouded. But that was the time when Abhishek Nayar helped me a lot. He called me and said that, ‘If you keep working hard, we might look at you.’ So he gave me that motivation. And Dinesh Karthik also spoke to me and said that, ‘If you are fit by next year’s auction and play few games, we might pick you.’

“I had a shoulder tear and I had started my rehab with Shankar Basu and Navneeth. So it helped me out at that time and I was able to come out of it. But unfortunately, I couldn’t play any domestic games that year. But still KKR went on to pick me and I would give credit to Abhishek Nayar, Dinesh Karthik, Venky Mysore. They definitely helped me out a lot in that way,” Varun Chakaravarthy elaborated.

The Knight Riders battled out RCB to sign Varun for ₹4 crore. Into his second wind, the mystery spinner vindicated the decision by bagging 17 wickets at a stunning economy of 6.84. He famously castled MS Dhoni in both matches.

Known to give an extended run to players, KKR was right behind Varun even after a disappointing IPL 2022. And yet again, he repaid the faith.

“If you see, it comes under the Knight Riders banner. They are one of the biggest and successful franchises in the world – they have four teams and they have been running them wonderfully. If you see the players that have been playing for KKR, they have been playing for many years and there haven’t been chops and changes. If you see Narine, if you see Russell, they have been backed throughout. And that’s the same thing they have done to me and, I feel grateful to them,” Varun expressed.

In 55 matches for KKR so far, he has picked up 61 wickets at an economy and strike-rate of 7.51 and 23.95, respectively. Save the 2022 season, the parameters drastically come down to 7.19 and 18.93.

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“Had I been there, I’d have been happier” – Varun Chakaravarthy on missing out on Asian Games 2023

Varun Chakaravarthy in action during his spell versus Scotland at the 2021 T20 World Cup

After the success of IPL 2023 and with the selectors slated to pick a second-string squad for the 2023 Asian Games, murmurs of him getting back his India berth started doing the rounds. It wasn’t to be, though.

But if you ask him, he might have been hopeful but definitely not expectant.

“Right now, I am not in that zone of wanting to be picked. I’ve kind of come into a zone where I’ve accepted things which aren’t in my control. As you can see, there are great players who have been dropped. But if I am not picked, I definitely call up and ask someone about what I can do better. But I always think that, I am always grateful for getting to play cricket for six years now and, I’d like to play for another 10 years. So I’m just looking in that direction,” Varun Chakaravarthy expressed in the free-wheeling chat.

He should look no further than his Dindigul Dragons captain, Ravichandran Ashwin. The legendary off spinner played four matches this season, in between the WTC final and the West Indies sojourn.

“Not anything on selection, but I do talk to him about the game. I’d definitely like to pick his brains, considering the amount of knowledge that he has and he has been playing the IPL since its inception. So I’d just like to know more. We didn’t get to spend much time now because he had to leave for the West Indies tour. But I hope he’ll be fully around the team next time and I’d like to talk to him more,” he pressed.

Apart from leggie Ravi Bishnoi, the spin department for Asiad comprises tweakers who can bat decent – Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahamad.

“Washi and Shahbaz are in as all-rounders. Had I been there, I would’ve been happier. But that just gives me a message that I have to work more on myself and I’m good with that,” the soft-spoken Varun said.

Reminded of him opening the batting in his formative years and how modern selections are influenced, he added:

“I used to bat a lot before and I used to open the batting. But the skill I’m doing right now, spin, it requires a lot of my time and energy. It requires more than 12 hours a day and, even if I’m not practising, I keep thinking about what I can do better. So in that way, in the last two years, I have not batted as much as I would like. But I’ve started batting a lot more right now.”

Not making the cut is one thing. But being suddenly put in the sea without instructions of how to swim back, can be tough.

“Yeah if selectors communicate, that’d be great. But there were people who communicated and, whatever they told, did make sense. And this time, I worked on all those things they told me. I think I have worked on all those shortcomings, so I feel much better than I was in 2021,” Varun assured.

Social media and its unwarranted opinions can make it doubly hard to not drown in the thoughts within. The keyboard warriors would cast aspersions on the same tricks which were doing wonders all this while.

“No no, I don’t get affected anymore. It doesn’t bother me negatively, but if there are really good comments and if there is constructive criticism, I’d definitely look to put it in my game, try it out and see if it works or not,” he informed.

In the 2018/19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he finished as the second highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps at a remarkable economy of 4.23. But he hasn’t been picked since. His only other tryst with the state side came in last year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

“I’m open to playing all the formats. List A, they didn’t select me last year and they have their own reasons. But I’m open to playing all the formats,” he reiterated.

Baffling, to say the very least.

Varun Chakaravarthy is an unassuming and honest bloke, who keeps his emotions in check while quietly going about his craft. But who is his sounding board in times of distress?

“I don’t open emotionally to anyone apart from my family. But technically and practically, I do open up a lot to Abhishek Nayar and he’s been there for me throughout, whenever I’ve needed support, because he’s part of KKR as well. Malolan Rangarajan has helped me in my initial phases when I was playing with him in the same team in first division. But of late, I’ve been working with AC Prathiban. He’s been mentoring me in my bowling, both technically and practically, and that’s helping me a lot,” he revealed.

Even the fitness issues plaguing Varun have become a thing of the past and there was a stark improvement in his catching and ground fielding in IPL 2023.

“Yeah, I’ve been better. I won’t say I’ve become the best fielder in the world but, I have taken baby steps and I’m slowly getting better in those aspects as well. I am more pragmatic now. Back then, I was blind and more dogmatic. I would practise continuously for six-seven hours without knowing how it would impact my body and all those things. But right now, I have a method to all this madness and I’m feeling more settled,” he explained.

Varun Chakaravarthy comes across as someone very eager to learn. You learn not just from the good, but from the bad as well. That’s what you call being pragmatic. He’s very inclusive in terms of criticism but cognisant of what is constructive. He’s that kid at a birthday party standing under the hanging bag, waiting for the gifts to fall but knowing exactly which ones would be of use to him. That’s what you call being pragmatic.

And he’s thus also made peace with things he cannot control. He was plying his trade in the fourth division without having any expectations, with the sole motive to sharpen his skills, and for the pure joy of playing. Those ethos are coming in handy now.

“No, I’ve stopped doing that [worrying about selections]. My only personal goal is that the ball has to release properly from my hand every ball I bowl. And that’s what I’m striving to achieve,” he concluded.

Either way, he shouldn’t be defined by the number of matches he plays for the country. Varun Chakaravarthy is the boy next door, like no other. His story is not only inspiring but also relatable. It may seem like a fairytale, one which would beat any Tollywood script, although it is very much a reality.

Don’t look at him as just a bowler who represented India because, much like scorecards, it won’t give you the full picture.

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