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Varun Chakravarthy (File Photo: X/Internet) Photograph: (X/Internet )
Star leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy happened to be a vital cog in the wheel for India in their historic Champions Trophy 2025 title win. He ended up as the leading wicket-taker for the eventual champions India. He also played a pivotal role in India’s semi-final win against Australia following a win against New Zealand in the last league match.
Chakravarthy scalped 9 wickets in the three innings of CT 2025 he played, with a brilliant economy rate of 4.53, including a five-wicket haul (5 wickets at just 42 runs in a game).
However, this journey of redemption from the infamous T20 World Cup 2021 failure in Dubai to the heroic journey in the Champions Trophy 2025 in the same Dubai wasn’t that easy for Chakravarthy.
"It was a dark time for me" - Varun Chakravarthy
Recently, the 33-year-old made some shocking revelations about his forgettable experiences after the horrific journey in the T20 World Cup 2021. Chakravarthy opened up about the ‘threat calls and messages’ he received after the conclusion of the tournament.
“It was a dark time for me. I was depressed because I thought I was not able to do justice after I was picked for the World Cup with a lot of hype. I regretted not taking even one wicket. After that, for three years, I was not selected. So, I think the comeback to the team was tougher than the path to my debut,” said Varun to Gobinath in a conversation on YouTube.
“After the 2021 World Cup, I received threatening calls. People said, 'Don't come to India. If you try, you won't be able to. People approached my house and tracked me down, and I sometimes had to hide. When I was returning from the airport, some people followed me on their bikes. It happens. I can understand fans are emotional,” he added later.
Now, Varun will be in action in the upcoming IPL 2025 for the defending champions, KKR. The franchise retained him ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction for a whopping amount of INR 12 crores.