Varun Chakravarthy bowls during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup match against Namibia in New Delhi on February 12, 2026
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
In his adult life, Varun Chakaravarthy has dabbled with a few different career paths. It is in his current avatar as a mystery spinner in white-ball cricket that he has carved out a niche for himself. The box of tricks that the leggie from Tamil Nadu has at his disposal proved too much for Namibia’s batters to handle at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday (February 12, 2026).
In two overs, he claimed three wickets to seal the deal for India in the T20 World Cup Group-A clash. Before the game, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate piqued the interest of the media by revealing that Varun is working on expanding his repertoire.
“That has been my process all along,” Varun said on Thursday. “I always have some delivery coming up. If I am courageous enough, I will try it in the next match. But it depends.”
How much time does Varun take with a variation before having the confidence to try it in a competitive setting? “There are a few balls which just click for me in the matches. There have been a few variations that I have been trying for the last six years. It has still not come out. It just depends on the complexity of the delivery,” he informed.
Equally important are Varun’s robust fundamentals. “I have definitely worked on a few aspects, such as speed, more revs, over-spin, and more zip off the wicket. I have worked on perfecting my existing balls, so that has helped a lot” he pointed out.
Published – February 13, 2026 11:34 am IST
