'Sidespin to overspin': Varun Chakravarthy talks secret to success

Varun Chakravarthy made a stunning comeback in the Indian team. After his successful 3-wicket haul in Gwalior, Varun opened up on the technical changes made when he was away from the national team.

In Short

• Varun Chakravarthy starred in India's win vs BAN in Gwalior
• Chakravarthy opened up on making technical changes
• The KKR spinner said that he developed the new technique for over 2 years

India spinner Varun Chakravarthy made his comeback to the national team after nearly three years. On his return, the spinner scalped three crucial wickets to script the downfall of Bangladesh's batting. After the match, Varun Chakravarthy opened up on the technical changes he made to his bowling.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Chakravarthy said that he was not bowling the traditional side-spin anymore, but had transitioned into an over-spin bowler.

Over-spin is a weapon used by spinners to put additional revs on the ball, which dips the ball faster than usual due to the Magnus Effect. The overspin also has impact on the bounce of the ball as the rapidly turning ball aids the bounce off the pitch against the batter, putting them in trouble.

"I used to be a side-spin bowler, but right now, I have completely shifted to being an over-spin bowler," Varun explained after the first T20I against Bangladesh.

IND vs BAN, 1st T20I: Highlights | Match Report

"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," he further added.

Varun Chakravarthy got back into the Indian team on the back of a fantastic performance in the Indian Premier League. In the 2024 season, Chakravarthy combined with Sunil Narine to guide Kolkata Knight Riders to a title win, after a gap of 10 years.

Originally, Chakravarthy had debuted for India in the run-up to the T20 World Cup 2021 but was dropped right after the team's unsuccessful campaign in the United Arab Emirates.