Varun Chakravarthy’s journey in Cricket so far is inspirational and quirky at the same time. The tales of Cricketers taking up a different professional route after moving away from Cricket isn’t new or something extraordinary anymore. But, Varun Chakravarthy turned up at the Cricket field in a professional dimension after he had quit a white-collar job.
Ever heard the term awe-inspiring?
Kolkata Knight Riders have had a strange run at the IPL 2020 so far; unpredictable batting line ups, change in captaincy in the middle of the season, and an unfortunate injury to their biggest match-winner, Andre Russell. With a team overloaded with quality spinners, Varun Chakravarthy’s inclusion in the playing XI over Kuldeep Yadav raised many eyebrows. But, not only has he taken over the mettle beautifully but also found a place in India’s T20 squad against Australia.
His biggest friend on a Cricket field is his immaculate control over line and length, not prodigious turn. In that respect, his modus operandi is similar to that of Sunil Narine. His control over the ‘Googly’ and ‘Carrom ball’ has naturally stemmed from playing years of Tennis-Ball Cricket.
He has forged a strong spin combination with Narine and both have enough deception to bamboozle rampaging batsmen on good batting wickets. It’s not less than a fairytale for Chakravarthy as the wily Trinidadian carved him for 24 runs including three sixes in his debut match in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2019. It is still in the record books as the highest runs conceded in the first over by a debutant in IPL.
But, can we even think of an inspirational story without a strong comeback?
IPL 2020 has been the perfect stage for Chakravarthy to display his skills against batsmen who are good enough to thwart any proven match-winner. Delhi Capitals have ticked most of the boxes as a team and are well placed in the team standings at the moment. Chakravarthy’s spell of 5/20 against them is the first five-wicket haul in the ongoing IPL 2020. The 29-year-old has certainly made his presence felt and has stood out with his variations even as bowlers like Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin, and Axar Patel continue to perform well.
The experience of bowling tough overs albeit in the Tamil Nadu Premier League has made him relish the opportunity of doing the same against world-class batsmen in the IPL.
He emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with twenty-two dismissals in nine matches. The tag of mystery spinner has stayed with him for a long time. Probably, it is his repertoire that earned the confidence of Indian selectors to include him in India’s T20I squad for the highly anticipated tour of Australia.
There aren’t many who have moved from being a Wicketkeeper to a medium pacer and finally settling in as a spinner after giving up a high profile job as an architect. But then, Varun Chakravarthy’s story isn’t a conventional one much like his bowling.
His big turning googly castled Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the league matches; he celebrated his call up to the Indian side with the wicket of K L Rahul, arguably the best Indian T20I Batsman currently with a deadly flipper.
Ample proof of his talent, right?
In him, we find a simple next-door boy who is thankful to be playing Cricket alongside legends of the game and does not give up the opportunity of clicking pictures with them after a match. Varun Chakravarthy’s story is made up of elements that we truly love about life, the turmoil and sacrifices are invariably followed by unprecedented success.
The romanticism associated with Varun Chakravarthy’s tale is one to cherish, imbibe, and recount for ages. Life can be cruel and tough but we are compelled to love its grey aspect wherein the unexpected and unimagined can happen any time.
So, what can we expect from Varun Chakravarthy when he will step on the field as an Indian Cricketer?
A bag full of tricks, smiles, and motivation- what do you reckon?
