IND vs BAN 1st T20I: Varun Chakravarthy shares winning strategies after stellar return to national duty

Varun Chakravarthy (Pic: AFP)

Following a remarkable comeback, match-winning spell on his return to international cricket in three years, Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy revealed the secret of his recent success which led to him being called up to the national side once again.

Playing his first international match since 2021's ICC T20 World Cup, Chakravarthy took a match-winning three-wicket haul as the young Indian team marched towards an easy eight-wicket win in IND vs BAN 1st T20I at Gwalior on Sunday.

Speaking on his success over recent years, the 33-year-old said that shifting from side-spin bowling to over-spin bowling helped him achieve more success.

"I used to be a side-spin bowler, but right now, I have completely shifted to being an over-spin bowler," Varun explained during the post-match press conference.

The spinner said that he worked on this type of bowling for more than two years, starting with some testing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"It is a minute technical aspect of spin bowling, but it took me more than two years. I gradually tested it in TNPL and IPL. While the mental aspect also had to be worked on, the major chunk of effort I put in was on my technical side," he further added.

During his time away from the Indian team, he became one of Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) hey bowlers in the IPL, working closely with spin legend Sunil Narine, a West Indies T20 superstar. After a poor 2022 season, in which he took just six wickets in 11 matches, he made a comeback with massive 2023 and 2024 seasons, taking 20 and 21 wickets respectively. In the 2024 IPL, his partnership with Narine in spin bowling and average of 19.14 played a crucial role in the franchise's first IPL win in 10 years and overall third title.

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Coming to the IND vs BAN 1st T20I match, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (27 runs from 25 balls, 1 four and 1 six) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (35' runs from 32 balls, 3 fours) were the top scorers for the visitors, injecting a small bit of life in an otherwise struggling innings. Bangladesh was bundled out for 127 runs in 19.5 overs.

Arshdeep (3/14) was the pick of the bowlers for India. Varun Chakravarthy bagged three wickets for 31 runs on his return to the side after 2021. Pace sensation Mayank Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Hardik got a scalp each.

During the chase of 128 runs, Abhishek Sharma (16 in seven balls) was run out due to a miscommunication. However, Sanju Samson (29 in 19 balls with six fours) and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (29 in 14 balls, with two fours and three sixes) stitched a 40-wicket stand for the second wicket. Then, it was Hardik who sealed the win for India, putting up a 52-run stand for the fourth wicket with debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy (16' in 15 balls, with a six).

Bangladesh failed to rise with the ball in the second inning and could only pick up two wickets. Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy were the only wicket-takers for the visitors.

Arshdeep was named the 'Player of the Match' for his fine spell which also included key wicket of Litton Das. India is up 1-0 in the three-match series.