Indian cricketer Varun Chakravarthy has caught the attention of fans with his amazing bowling in the ODI format. The 33-year-old was a late entry in the side as he replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal in India’s squad in the Champions Trophy set-up. After warming the benches in the first two games, Chakravarthy picked a fifer in the final league game against New Zealand.
It is well known that Chakravarthy had left his job at the age of 25 to pursue his cricketing dreams. Fans posted a short clip from the 2014 Tamil movie ‘Jeeva’ where the current Indian star was seen in a cameo role. The movie starring Vishnu Vishal and Sri Divya is about a young man who aspires to play for the national side and goes through various trials and tribulations.
Watch the video here:
In the video, Chakravarthy could be seen sitting in the dugout and clapping in one of the scenes. The 33-year-old, who wasn’t a known name then, can be seen in the cricketing whites.
After an amazing season in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, the mystery spinner was given a chance to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
After a successful season, Chakravarthy was given his national call-up in 2021. The spinner failed to perform with the ball and was sidelined for three years before earning his recall in late 2024. The KKR star picked two fifers in the T20I format, which later earned him his first cap in the ODI format against England in Guwahati.
Indian spinner makes sensational bow in ODI cricket
In the recently held Champions Trophy tournament, Chakravarthy picked nine wickets from just three games. The 33-year-old began with figures of 5 for 42 against New Zealand. This was followed by his 2 for 49 against Australia, where he got the wickets of Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell. In the finals, Chakravarthy struck first to dismiss Will Young and then got the wicket of dangerous Glenn Phillips.
Former India batter Aakash Chopra praised the veteran spinner on his YouTube channel, saying, “Let’s talk about Varun Chakaravarthy’s mystery. He was a slightly left-field selection. His name wasn’t even there in the initial selection. Harshit Rana came for Jasprit Bumrah and Varun came for Yashasvi Jaiswal. He didn’t play against Bangladesh and Pakistan, and you started wondering whether he would play or not.”
The 47-year-old also said, “Then India went for the jugular. They played four players. They got Varun Chakaravarthy to bowl even in the powerplay. When Travis Head was hitting, he was given the ball. New Zealand got off to a flier. So he was called and got Will Young out. He played only three matches. In such a short career, he has made a mark.”
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