The Ashwin Effect: 'From Side-Spin to Over-Spin', Varun Chakaravarthy Rediscovers His Mystery

Varun Chakaravarthy made a successful return to the Indian cricket team with a commendable performance in the first T20I in Gwalior on Sunday. After a three-year hiatus, the off-spinner reaped dividends as he unleashed his mystery balls and deceived the batters with ease. He ended up taking three wickets in his comeback match.However, one of the key aspects of Chakaravarthy's resurgence lies in a subtle yet significant technical adjustment. "I used to be a side-spin bowler but right now, I have completely shifted to an over-spin bowler which is a minute technical aspect of spin bowling. From side spin to over spin, it took me more than two years," Varun revealed in a conversation with the media."In these three years, the major chunk of work which I put in was in my technical aspect," he was quoted as saying by theindianexpress.com.Chakaravarthy's journey back to the Indian team was also aided by his stint in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) where he played under the leadership of R Ashwin.Ashwin's guidance and support played a crucial role in restoring Chakaravarthy's confidence and sharpening his skills.Chakravarthy says he is reaping the rewards of putting over-spin on the ball instead of side-spin following his successful India comeback."I used to be a side-spin bowler, but right now, I have completely shifted to being an over-spin bowler," said Varun after playing a part in India's seven-wicket win."It's 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.""Whenever there was a squad that was announced, I used to feel like, 'Why is my name not there?' and I used to keep thinking about that. So that kind of brought the motivation within me that I should not leave this."I should go all out and make a comeback, so I started playing a lot of domestic games and giving importance to it. That kind of helped me," said the soft-spoken cricketer.