Excited about my first game for India in Chennai: Varun Chakravarthy

CHENNAI: Since his wicketless outing in the T20 World Cup in 2021 and subsequent removal from the Indian squad, wrist-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has come a long way. Ahead of his debut in Chepauk in Indian colours, he shared his excitement about playing in front of his family and Chennai crowd.

"Coming back to Chennai and representing India is incredibly special," he said during the pre-match press conference. "It’s going to be an important day for me, especially since I’ll be playing in front of my parents. That makes it all the more memorable."

Chakravarthy's journey back to the Indian team has been anything but easy. He earned his place through back-to-back successful seasons with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, along with solid performances in domestic cricket.

"After 2021, I got dropped, and that period gave me a lot of time to reflect on my mindset and technique," he added. "It allowed me to rechange and make several tweaks to my bowling."

Since his return to the Indian team in October 2021, Varun has been nothing short of impressive. In just eight matches, he has claimed 20 wickets at a remarkable average of 11.7. He also registered a fifer against South Africa in the second ODI of November last year.

Varun was the standout bowler in Eden Gardens earlier this week, picking up 3/23 and rattling England’s middle order by dismissing Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, and Liam Livingstone. Reflecting on his evolving role in the Indian camp, he said, "My role is to bowl at the stumps and be aggressive. There’s no added responsibility per se, as both the coach and Suryakumar make sure that we don’t feel extra pressure. They ensure that the external noise doesn’t affect us."

Varun vouches for Domestic cricket

After India’s debacle at the Border Gavaskar Trophy owing to its fragile batting unit, head coach Gautam Gambhir said that he’d want his players to play domestic cricket if they are committed towards red-ball cricket. On Friday, Varun voiced a similar opinion saying that the standard of domestic cricket is just as high as that of the IPL or other international tournaments.

"I’d encourage everyone to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. The grounds are smaller, and it presents a real challenge. It has helped me become more instinctive, allowing me to make quicker, smarter decisions when it matters most,” he added.

Varun has played a significant amount of domestic cricket over the past year, becoming the joint-highest wicket-taker in the previous season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and also picking up 18 wickets in six matches during the 2024-2025 season.