India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has had quite a redemption arc. Varun’s life has come full circle from underwhelming in the 2021 T20 World Cup to being the team’s X-factor in the Champions Trophy. In the recent eight-team tournament, the mystery spinner played three matches, taking nine wickets, and his performance went a long way in India winning the title. The 33-year-old has now opened up on the “dark phase” after the T20 World Cup, saying he received threatening calls from people asking him not to return to the country
For the uninitiated, Varun Chakaravarthy was drafted to India’s squad for the T20 World Cup in 2021 after an impressive performance in the IPL. However, the spinner found the going tough, failing to take even a single wicket. He was also a part of India’s infamous 10-wicket loss at the hands of arch-rival Pakistan.
Varun revealed that he was in “depression” once the tournament ended as he was not able to do justice after being picked in the national side. He also stated that some people followed him on their bikes to his house once he landed in the country.
“It was a dark time for me. I was in depression because I thought I was not able to do justice after I was picked for the World Cup with a lot of hype. I regretted not taking even one wicket. After that, for three years, I was not selected. So, I think the comeback to the team was tougher than the path to my debut,” Varun told Gobinath in a chat on YouTube.