Varun Chakravarthy's Unconventional Love for Cricket

Varun Chakravarthy's journey to becoming the number one T20I bowler was not a conventional one. The 34-year-old spinner, who started taking cricket seriously at the age of 26, revealed that he used to carry a cricket ball with him everywhere he went, even to his wedding reception. He credited YouTube videos of legendary bowlers like Sunil Narine, Shahid Afridi, and Rashid Khan with igniting a spark within him to pursue a career in cricket. Varun's diverse interests in movies, architecture, and editing made him a late bloomer in the cricketing world.

Key Takeaways:

Varun Chakravarthy started taking cricket seriously at the age of 26, after pursuing various other interests like movies, architecture, and editing.
He credited YouTube videos of legendary bowlers with igniting a spark within him to pursue a career in cricket.
Varun has taken 40 wickets in 24 T20Is for India, at an average of 15.60, with best figures of 5/17 and an economy rate of 6.89.
He has two five-wicket hauls in T20Is and has taken 10 wickets in four ODIs at an average of 19.00.
Varun has won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup T20I edition 2025 with the Indian team, and the IPL 2024 title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
He has taken 100 wickets in 84 IPL matches at an average of 23.85, with a five-wicket haul to his name.

Statistics:

Varun Chakravarthy has taken 40 wickets in 24 T20Is for India at an average of 15.60. (ANI)
He has two five-wicket hauls in T20Is and has taken 10 wickets in four ODIs at an average of 19.00. (ANI)
Varun has won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup T20I edition 2025 with the Indian team. (ANI)
He has taken 100 wickets in 84 IPL matches at an average of 23.85, with a five-wicket haul to his name. (ANI)
Varun's best T20I figures are 5/17 at an economy rate of 6.89. (ANI)

Sources:

ANI (ANI), "Varun Chakravarthy opens up on what sparked his love for cricket," October 16, 2022.