"Varun Chakravarthy 2.0": The Comeback Star and Versatile Spinner

Varun Chakravarthy’s return to Indian colors has been nothing short of spectacular. Since rejoining the team, he has picked up 27 wickets in just 10 T20Is, a performance only bettered by Rashid Khan in a similar ten-match sequence. Varun’s standout moment came in South Africa, where he bagged 12 wickets in four matches, the most by an Indian bowler in a bilateral series. As of now, he has claimed 10 wickets from three matches against England, with two more games to go.

Varun’s journey from a mystery spinner to a well-rounded leg spinner has been remarkable. Mystery bowlers often experience a rise fueled by novelty, only to fade once batters get used to their deliveries.

Varun seemed to follow this path, with a less-than-impressive IPL 2022 campaign, but he worked tirelessly to refine his craft. He shifted from a side-spin bowler to an over-spin bowler, and this adjustment has played a key role in his resurgence.

A Versatile Option

Since his return, Varun has become a more rounded leg-spinner, primarily relying on his leg break with overspin, which has proven difficult for batters to attack. His well-disguised googly has also been a major wicket-taking tool. Remarkably, his leg-spin deliveries (94.6 kph) are faster than his googly (92.3 kph). Additionally, his quicker delivery, which touches 110+ kph, has troubled top batters like England's Jos Buttler, dismissing him twice with deliveries clocking 110 and 111.5 kph.

Varun’s transformation began in 2022 when he realized that the side-spin was not effective at the international level. He spent over two years refining his technique, experimenting in domestic leagues like TNPL and IPL. This change in approach has made him a more consistent threat, with his stock leg-break ball becoming the primary weapon in his arsenal.

Why Varun was Tough To Pick?

Varun Chakravarthy now bowls leg breaks around five out of six balls per over, using his googly less but making it more potent. In recent IPL seasons, he has maintained an impressive economy rate of 8.09 while also being the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.

One of Varun’s key strengths is his ability to prevent batters from playing the sweep shot effectively. His natural length is shorter than that of most leg spinners, making it difficult for batters to execute the sweep shot, which is often a high-risk strategy against spinners. His airspeed, accuracy, and over-spin add further difficulty, resulting in a higher error margin for the batters.

With his new-found consistency and the added variation in his bowling, Varun has established himself as a key figure in India’s T20I line-up. Even with the return of players like Kuldeep Yadav, Varun has proven himself worthy of a spot in the XI. Together, if they all feature in the same match, India could boast one of the most formidable T20I bowling attacks ever assembled.