Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai
‘Oh, he is unlucky.’ This is a line that you end up hearing way too many times in the sporting world. But in the case of Varun Chakaravarthy’s campaign at the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, it is an apt phrase. One of the cornerstones of India’s spin attack has bowled fairly well, having taken four wickets in three matches. It’s just that it could have been so much more – four chances have been fluffed off his bowling so far.
Consider the just-concluded India-Bangladesh match. In one over, Varun saw two catches go down off his bowling. More often than not, the bowler would have yelled at the fielders and perhaps lost concentration. Not so Varun. He didn’t open his mouth at all.
Those six deliveries tell you something about Varun 3.0. This latest version hasn’t just added a weapon or two to his artillery. He has also become more resilient. He has perhaps developed a switch in his mind that helps him to forget preceding outcomes.
Varun, not a man of many words, had this to say about the fielding lapses off his bowling. “The fielding coach will have lots to say,” he said. “Last match, he didn’t say much, but this match I think he’ll have lots to say.”
After losing his place in the Indian side a few years ago, Varun has also tried to polish his skills with a single-minded focus. Nowadays, his template isn’t just about possessing six or seven different weapons. With a high-arm action, he hits higher up on the bat. He imparts a lot more overspin on the ball. To decipher Varun’s art further, delve deeper into his run-up, where a little more vigour is clearly visible. All these factors have combined to make Varun a lethal bowler in the shortest format.
Prathiban, his coach, once told this writer: “We were trying to identify the process. More speed in the run-up, working on the balance of the delivery stride, from where he can generate a little more force on to the ball. So, all these things put together, he was in a better position to put a few more revs on the ball.”
Cricket is a curious game. On the surface, it is a team sport, but much of it is played individually. It is for the player not to get caught up in emotions for a period of time. And that is where Varun has excelled. Each time a catch has gone down off his bowling in this tournament, all you observe is that he just turns around and returns to his bowling mark. He has become a master of the art of bouncebackability.
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