xtratime Logo

XtraTime Web Desk: Kolkata Knight Rider’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is often regarded as the ‘Indian Narine’. But little did the 29 year old spinner from Tamil Nadu do to justify his potentiality. Varun was the most talked about name in IPL 2019, but for the wrong reasons - after being purchased for 8.4 crores by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), he bowled just 3 overs all season, conceding 35 runs. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, the mystery spinner finally redeemed himself to some extent as he foxed Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner in his first IPL match for Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

The Sunrisers captain looked threatening and together with Manish Pandey seemed to be taking the match away from the Knight Riders. But the mystery spinner had different plans. With his stump to stump trajectory, Warner mistimed his shot and gave a simple catch straight back to him. The Australian’s gritty 30 ball 36 runs came to an end and also pulled KKR back into the match.

A product of Tamil Nadu Premier League, Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling action resembled Sri Lankan mystery spinner, Ajanta Mendis. Varun, who started his cricket career as a wicket-keeper in his school days turned into a medium-pacer as he grew up before quitting a high profile architect job and eventually settled with bowling spin, thanks to his knee injury.

In order to experiment variations, Varun decided to demote himself from 2nd to 4th division in league cricket. That move worked wonders as he picked up 25 wickets and rose to prominence for his unique action. He was soon snapped up by TNPL franchise Karaikudi Kaalais for 2017 season. The move acted as a catalyst for Varun as he was called up to KKR nets session where he worked closely with Sunil Narine. After the conclusion of his IPL net session, Varun slightly remodeled his action and added new dimensions to his bowling. Following the successful stint with Kaalais, Varun was the sought after spinner ahead of 2018 TNPL draft. He was the first pick for Siechem Madurai Panthers.

Although Varun claimed only 9 wickets in the tournament, his economy and dot ball percentage (4.7 and 52.08 respectively) stood out the most. Overall, he bowled 125 dot balls in 10 innings and was one of the finds of the tournament. In the final, Varun's figures read: 4-1-9-2 and he was one of the unsung heroes behind Madurai's winning triumph. Tamil Nadu selectors wasted no time in selecting the mystery spinner in the TN state side for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018/19 where he emerged as the highest wicket taker for his side.

With his confidence back after the decent performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders can only hope both Sunil Narine and Indian Narine will work wonders in the season ahead.