"They played big roles in my comeback"- Varun Chakaravarthy name-drops two stars who played a crucial role in his career

Varun Chakaravarthy has 10 ODI and 33 T20I wickets to his name thus far.

Varun Chakaravarthy has been on fire since his Team India comeback in 2024 after three years of wilderness. Once, he had thought of giving up cricket after his unimpressive outing for India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, where he went wicketless in three games.

The misery continued in IPL 2022, with him taking six wickets in the tournament. However, Varun took everything in his stride and worked hard to reinvent himself. He came back into the Indian team in 2024 and is now the first-choice spinner for the Men in Blue and was the joint-highest wicket taker in India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win.

Varun Chakaravarthy compares the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma

Suryakumar Yadav has supported Varun Chakaravarthy wholeheartedly ever since he was appointed captain of the Indian T20I team. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi were the two front-line spinners, but Chakaravarthy took over the role right away. He talked about how Gambhir and Suryakumar gave him confidence.

Chakaravarthy dominated South Africa with 12 wickets at an incredible strike rate of 8.00 after taking five wickets in three Twenty20 Internationals against Bangladesh.

“Yes, Surya (Kumar Yadav) and Gautam (Gambhir), I feel, have played big roles in my comeback because they wanted me. Surya told me before the Bangladesh tour that “I’m looking at you; let’s see how the other things go, but I’m keen on having you in the team setup”, said Chakaravarthy while speaking to RevSportz.

“About Surya, he is someone very similar to Rohit [Sharma]—that’s what I’ve seen. He is very tactically sound, and maybe his time at MI (Mumbai Indians) has given him good exposure to great captains. He is a very good guy and never puts pressure on the bowlers. It would be a bowler’s delight to have a captain like him,” he added.

Gauti Bhai has also helped me a lot: Varun Chakaravarthy

Apart from Suryakumar, Varun also credited India head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing him and showing confidence in his abilities. He revealed that in the locker room, Gautam Gambhir instills a warrior mentality. Always a team player, Gambhir has focused more on the players’ mental health.

“Similarly, Gauti Bhai has also helped me a lot in my comeback, the way he motivates me. Even if we talk a little, he has always given me good confidence, and he’s always said that “no matter who’s going to ignore you, I will keep you in my plans for now.” So, that kind of gave me confidence. And if you ask about Gauti Bhai as a mentor, then I would say he brings in a warrior mindset in the dressing room, which is very important and has worked for us at KKR and in the Champion Trophy,” Varun said.

“We even got to see that in the recently concluded England vs. India Test series. He brings energy to the dressing room, which is very important. Around him, I always feel there is no mediocrity. You give everything you have, and it doesn’t matter whether you win or you lose,” he added.

Varun has 10 wickets in four ODIs with a best of 5/42 and 33 wickets in 18 T20Is with a best of 5/17.

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