Varun Chakravarthy has in a few short years and his stint in the IPL come up with performances that have brought him in contention for a spot in the Indian cricket team. He has had a handful of games but his performances have certainly made the selectors take notice of this bowler who has already had a topsy turvy life and a tryst with destiny that has seen him go to an India cap.
The 30-year-old took up cricket and was playing for very long in the lower leagues of Tamil Nadu. He even has a movie appearance as a club cricketer to his credit in a Tamil Language film. It is in the 2018-19 season that he finally got his break in the List A cricket. He had a wonder season when he took 22 wickets in the 9 games that he played.
This is where the Kings XI Punjab took notice of his talent and picked him up for 8.4 crore rupees. But he had a far from ideal start and those who had included him in the cricket betting tips would rue the fact that they picked him as he went for 25 runs in his first over itself. This was a heartbreak for him as he was released by the team and it all seemed lost for him. But he has never learnt to quit and when he was picked for the Kolkata Knight Riders, he was the star of the show in the 2020 season as he dominated the proceedings for his team and announced himself with a 5-wicket haul. He suffered yet another setback when an injury ruled him out of the Australia tour after he was picked up for the first time. But his debut was going to eventually happen. It happened on the Sri Lanka tour and that was a moment he is never going to forget in his life.
The question now in the minds of all his fans and followers is what next? Where does this fairy tale story take him next? Maybe to the T20 world cup?
He is certainly going to be the contender and the primary reason for why he is going to be the contender is the fact that he is an experienced bowler on the UAE wickets and UAE is a place where he has been shining more than any place else.
With the decision to shift the T20 world cup away from India to the United Arab Emirates, it is going to be a call that the Indian selectors have to take. With the mystery that Varun brings to the table, he could be a surprise ace up the sleeve of captain Virat Kohli.
India might also be undergoing a crisis with the injuries to Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. That leaves India short on the bowling department and with the likes of Kuldeep Yadav being erratic and the second-choice spinners, Varun certainly does have a chance. It should also be remembered, that Varun has kept Kuldeep out of the 11 in the Kolkata Knight Riders team.
While Kuldeep is a purely wicket taking bowler, Varun usually keeps things tight on the slow wickets. His variation of pace and lengths makes him an unpredictable option and one they could exploit particularly against the sides who have not faced him yet. With his story being nothing short of a commercial potboiler script, there may still be a climax left to it which may see him being a hero for his nation. It would be intriguing to see if that happens.