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Varun Chakravarthy

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Varun Chakravarthy
Varun during match press conference in 2025
Personal information
Full name
Varun Chakaravarthy Vinod
Born (1991-08-29) 29 August 1991 (age 33)
Bidar, Karnataka, India
BattingRight–handed
BowlingRight–arm Leg break Googly
RoleBowler
Relations
Neha Khedekar
​
(m. 2020)​
International information
National side
ODI debut (cap 259)9 February 2025 v England
Last ODI9 March 2025 v New Zealand
ODI shirt no.29
T20I debut (cap 87)25 July 2021 v Sri Lanka
Last T20I2 February 2025 v England
T20I shirt no.29
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2018–presentTamil Nadu
2019Kings XI Punjab
2020–presentKolkata Knight Riders (squad no. 29)
Career statistics
Competition T20I ODI LA T20
Matches 18 4 25 106
Runs scored 1 – 115 75
Batting average 0.50 – 11.50 6.25
100s/50s 0/0 – 0/0 0/0
Top score 1* – 32 24
Balls bowled 411 240 1289 2371
Wickets 33 10 65 138
Bowling average 14.57 19.00 14.30 21.15
5 wickets in innings 2 1 5 3
10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0
Best bowling 5/17 5/42 5/9 5/17
Catches/stumpings 3/0 0/– 8/– 19/–
Medal record
Men's cricket
Representing  India
Champions Trophy
Winner 2025 Pakistan & United Arab Emirates
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 9 March 2025

Varun Chakravarthy (born 29 August 1991) is an Indian cricketer who plays for the national team as a leg spin bowler. He made his T20I debut in July 2021 and ODI debut in February 2025.[1] He plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.[2] He was a member of the Indian team that won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

Early life

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Chakravarthy was born on 29 August 1991 in Bidar, Karnataka. His father Vinod Chakravarthy, an ITS officer for BSNL, is half-Tamil and half-Malayali,[3] while his mother Malini is a Kannadiga.[4] He was brought up in Adyar, Chennai.[3]

He did his schooling in Chennai, at Kendriya Vidyalaya CLRI and then St. Patrick's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, where he played cricket as a wicket-keeper but quit the sport to focus on academics. He obtained a bachelor's degree in architecture from SRM University. At age 25, he gave up his job as an architect to pursue cricket professionally.[5][6] Starting out as a pace bowler, a knee injury in early 2017 kept him out of action for six months, after which he turned to spin bowling.[7][8]

Domestic career

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He made his List A debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 20 September 2018.[9] He was the leading wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with twenty-two dismissals in nine matches.[10] He made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy on 12 November 2018.[11]

In December 2018, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the price of 8.4 crores.[12][13] He made his Twenty20 debut for the team on 27 March 2019.[14] His first over went for 25 runs, the highest number of runs conceded by a bowler on debut in the IPL.[15] He was released by the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the 2020 IPL auction.[16] In the 2020 IPL auction, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2020 Indian Premier League.[17] On 24 October 2020, he took his first five-wicket haul in the IPL, with figures of 5 wickets for 20 runs, against the Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi.[18] He was Kolkata Knight Riders' highest wicket-taker in the 2021 IPL.[19]

Chakravarthy was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024 Indian Premier League with 21 dismissals at an average of 19.14 and economy rate of 8.04.[20] He took 18 wickets in 6 matches for Tamil Nadu at the 2024–25 Vijay Hazare Trophy to finish second on the wicket-takers' list behind Arshdeep Singh.[21]

International career

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In October 2020, he was named in India's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against Australia.[22] However, on 9 November 2020, Chakravarthy was ruled out of the squad after suffering an injury.[23] In February 2021, he was named in India's T20I squad for their series against England.[24]

In June 2021, he was named in India's One Day International (ODI) and T20I squads for their series against Sri Lanka.[25] He made his T20I debut on 25 July 2021, for India against Sri Lanka,[26] taking the wicket of Dasun Shanaka.[27] In September 2021, Chakravarthy was named in India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[28] He went wicket-less in his three appearances in the tournament.[29]

In October 2024, he made his international comeback after nearly 3 years in the first T20I against Bangladesh at Gwalior, where he picked 3/31.[30] His maiden T20I five-wicket haul of 5/17 came against South Africa in Gqeberha in November 2024.[31]

In 2025, Chakravarthy won the player of the series award in the five-match T20I series against England, after taking 14 wickets including his second five-wicket haul of 5/24.[32] He was then named in the ODI squad against England and made his ODI debut at Cuttack. At 33 years and 164 days old, he became the second oldest ODI debutant for India after Farokh Engineer.[33]

In February 2025, he was named in India's 15-member squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.[34] He took 5/42 in a group stage match against New Zealand, his maiden ODI five-for in only his second ODI appearance.[35] He took two wickets each in the semifinal against Australia and the final against New Zealand, to finish as the tournament's joint second-highest wicket-taker with 9 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 15.11.[36]

Personal life

[edit]

Varun Chakravarthy also made a cameo appearance in the 2014 Indian Tamil-language sports drama film Jeeva as a club cricketer.[37][38] On 11 December 2020, he married his longtime girlfriend Neha Khedekar in a closed ceremony in Chennai.[39]

On 3 May 2021, Varun Chakravarthy, along with his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Sandeep Warrier, tested positive for COVID-19.[40] As a result, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore was called off. Ultimately, the tournament was suspended.[41]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Varun Chakravarthy". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Decoding the mystery: Who is Varun Chakravarthy?". ESPNcricinfo. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b Nair, Aneesh (10 December 2020). "Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and his Kerala connection". Manorama Online. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  4. ^ "Basu Shanker | Varun Chakravarthy | Mystery Spinner | Cricket | Interview | Time Out with Basu | E15". 17 September 2022. Event occurs between 2:20 and 2:46. Archived from the original on 3 March 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  5. ^ Dani, Bipin (30 October 2020). "Varun Chakravarthy is spinning reality out of dreams". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  6. ^ "'Wasn't expecting it': Architect-turned-cricketer Varun Chakravarthy after being awarded India call-up". WION. 27 October 2020. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. ^ PR, Srinidhi (18 December 2018). "Varun Chakaravarthy: From fourth-division player to IPL's million-dollar baby". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  8. ^ Menon, Vishal (19 December 2018). "IPL 2019 Auction: Stock jumps for unknown commodity Varun Chakravarthy". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Elite, Group C, Vijay Hazare Trophy at Chennai, Sep 20 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Vijay Hazare Trophy, 2016/17 - Tamil Nadu: Batting and bowling averages". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Elite, Group B, Ranji Trophy at Tirunelveli, Nov 12-15 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  12. ^ "IPL 2019 auction: The list of sold and unsold players". ESPNcricinfo. 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  13. ^ "IPL 2019 Auction: Who got whom". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  14. ^ "6th Match (N), Indian Premier League at Kolkata, Mar 27 2019". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Sunil Narine makes it a first over to forget for Varun Chakravarthy". ESPNcricinfo. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Where do the eight franchises stand before the 2020 auction?". ESPNcricinfo. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  17. ^ "IPL auction analysis: Do the eight teams have their best XIs in place?". ESPNcricinfo. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Varun Chakravarthy took his first five-wicket haul". scroll.in. 24 October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) IPL 2021 Stats & Records: Most Runs, Wickets & Catches, Highest & Lowest Score - myKhel.com". mykhelcom. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Varun Chakravarthy rewarded for hard work on tough pitches in IPL: Parthiv Patel". India Today. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  21. ^ "Most wickets For Vijay Hazare Trophy, 2024/25". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  22. ^ "Rishabh Pant omitted from India's white-ball squads, Varun Chakravarthy in T20I squad". ESPNcricinfo. 26 October 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  23. ^ Karhadkar, Amol (9 November 2020). "Kohli to go on paternity leave after 1st Australia Test; Rohit included for Tests, Varun Chakravarthy injured". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  24. ^ "India's squad for Paytm T20I series announced". Board of Control for Cricket in India. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Shikhar Dhawan to captain India on limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  26. ^ "1st T20I (N), Colombo (RPS), Jul 25 2021, India tour of Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  27. ^ "India vs Sri Lanka: 'He's got an X-factor,' says Laxman as he praises Varun Chakravarthy on his debut performance". Hindustan Times. 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  28. ^ "India's T20 World Cup squad: R Ashwin picked, MS Dhoni mentor". ESPNcricinfo. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  29. ^ "Cracks to craftsmanship: Varun Chakravarthy redesigns his Dubai story". India Today. 3 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Varun Chakravarthy on dream comeback in India vs Bangladesh T20 cricket match: 'Feels like rebirth' | Mint". Mint. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  31. ^ ""Combination of both my consistency and overspin": Varun Chakaravarthy on his unique bowling style after India's loss to South Africa". Hindustan Times. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  32. ^ "Varun Chakaravarthy added to India's ODI squad for England series, Shubman Gill says". The Indian Express. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  33. ^ "India vs England Cuttack ODI: Varun Chakravarthy makes ODI debut, second oldest Indian to do so in the format". The Indian Express. 9 February 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  34. ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj (11 February 2025). "Bumrah ruled out of Champions Trophy; Varun a late inclusion in India squad". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  35. ^ "CT 2025: Varun reveals mental battle with old Dubai memories, approach to ODI bowling following fifer against NZ". The Tribune. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  36. ^ "Most wickets For ICC Champions Trophy, 2024/25". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  37. ^ "When KKR's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy acted in Tamil film!". The Week. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  38. ^ "KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy acted in a Tamil movie Jeeva back in 2014". CricTracker. 28 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  39. ^ "கிரிக்கெட் வீரர் வருண் சக்ரவர்த்தி நீண்ட நாள் தோழியுடன் திருமணம்; ரசிகர்கள் வாழ்த்து". Indian Express (in Tamil). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  40. ^ Gollapudi, Nagraj (3 May 2021). "Chakravarthy, Warrier positive for Covid-19, KKR vs RCB rescheduled". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  41. ^ "KKR Stars Varun Chakravarthy, Sandeep Warrier Test Positive For Coronavirus, Kolkata versus Bangalore IPL 2021 Game Rescheduled". India.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
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