Surprise pick Varun turns out to be Team India’s secret weapon

Varun has been mighty impressive.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Varun Chakaravarthy’s career has been filled with bursts of highs and lows. Starting as a professional only at 26, he found instant success moving from the TNPL and IPL to the national team in a dizzy three-year spell before falling out of favour just as quickly by the end of 2021.

After reinventing himself over the next three seasons, the 33-year-old’s graph is on the rise again. His consistent performances in three T20 International series — versus Bangladesh, South Africa (2024), and England (2025) — where he left most batters puzzled and shaken, was enough for the think-tank to hand him an ODI call-up at the eleventh hour for the three-match series against England, and subsequently the Champions Trophy. In a span of two months, Varun has reposed the faith.

From not being part of the provisional squad, Varun is now the ace up India’s sleeve as it looks to reclaim the Champions Trophy on Sunday. The Men in Blue will be keen to make amends for the loss in the 2000 Nairobi final against the Black Caps.

The spinner from Tamil Nadu looms large over the summit clash, having left the Kiwis bewildered five days ago here. He followed it up with another impressive spell against Australia in the semifinal, getting the big scalp of Travis Head who had looked dangerous in the PowerPlay. The left-hander tried to take him on and lost his wicket.

The tweaker has spoken extensively about how he has worked hard to focus on top-spin after realising that lateral movement alone won’t be enough to fox batters at the international level. His tireless work, incorporating more revolutions into his deliveries, has been a key factor in the remarkable turnaround.

After a five-for against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year, Varun told The Hindu, “Over-spin has more revolutions, so the ball dips more. And when it dips, it extracts more bounce. So I found that to be more effective.”

R. Ashwin, one of India’s finest spinners, validated Varun’s theory on his social media channel. “It’s the amount of revs that is allowing the ball to drop. It is not dropping at 89 kph but in the high 90s. It’s an unbelievable skill,” said Ashwin.

The one that trapped Glenn Phillips leg-before was bowled at 93 kph, dipping and turning sharply into the perplexed batter.

After the New Zealand game, skipper Rohit Sharma was all praise for Varun’s variation of pace. “Watching from slip, I can see his variation become a lot more pronounced. When you have a bit of mystery, you don’t want to become one-dimensional and bowl at the same speed… you need something different like pace variation and accuracy. He has worked on both,” said Rohit.

The key to success in any battle is the element of surprise. Over the last two matches, the Men in Blue have unleashed their secret weapon — Varun — to leave the opponents clueless. India will hope that the mystery spinner delivers another magical spell on Sunday.