New Delhi, Mar 12: Before Varun Chakravarthy became famous for his mysterious spin bowling and played an important role in India’s ICC Champions Trophy victory, his journey to success was far from usual. It was full of unexpected events, almost like a story you’d see in a Bollywood movie. Varun didn’t always want to be a cricketer-in fact, he had other plans for his future.

In 2014, Varun started his acting career with the Tamil movie Jeeva, where he played the role of a cricketer facing challenges. At the same time, he was also participating in a cooking reality show called Cooku with Comali, where he swapped cricket for cooking. While people saw him acting and cooking, Varun's true passion is still cricket, a sport he had given up in favor of a "more practical" career.

Varun graduated with a degree in Architecture from SRM University and worked as an architect, designing buildings during the day. But at night, he dreamt of playing cricket.

At the age of 25, Varun made a surprising decision. He quit his job as an architect and chose to focus on playing cricket full-time.

He joined a local cricket club as a wicketkeeper-batter and seam bowler. However, just when things were going well, he injured his knee, which made him change the way he played.

During his recovery, he discovered a new talent for bowling mystery spin (a tricky form of bowling). With his background in architecture, Varun started to "design" or plan his bowling tricks to make them hard to hit.

His big opportunity came in the 2017-18 season, when he took 31 wickets in just seven matches. Playing in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), he became Madurai's secret weapon, which caught the attention of IPL scouts. As a result, Kings XI Punjab bought him for Rs 8.4 crore.

Varun's debut in the IPL was delayed because of injuries, but in 2019, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) gave him a chance. He took 17 wickets in his first season, including one match where he took five wickets, and became KKR's key spinner.

Varun’s path to playing for India wasn’t easy either. He faced some fitness problems that delayed his international career. But in 2021, he finally got the chance to play for India in T20 matches, and later, he became the second-oldest player to make his ODI debut for India.

By the time the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final came around, Varun was ready to make an impact. In the final match against New Zealand, he played a big part in helping India win, taking two important wickets. He was also one of the top wicket-takers in the tournament. Varun had gone from being an actor, architect, and chef to becoming one of India’s best mystery spinners.

This shows his journey of overcoming challenges and excelling in cricket!

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