Varun Chakravarthy Shares Story Of How Net Bowling Stint With CSK Paved Way For IPL Entry; Video

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of many Indian cricketers. In a candid conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel, Varun opened up about how a net-bowling stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) laid the groundwork for his IPL breakthrough.

Varun Chakravarthy narrates his tale of becoming CSK net bowler

Although Varun never got a chance to play for CSK, his time as a net bowler proved to be a turning point. He revealed, "I bowled to DK, who was impressed and said that he would call me later on. That was the year Chennai was coming back to the IPL after two years of not playing. An interesting incident happened at that time. I learned that Mr. TS Mohan was handling the net bowlers for CSK. I was going on a scooter, following the CSK bus, and I called him from outside the Chepauk stadium.

"I told him that I bowl mystery spin and asked if there was a chance I could be a net bowler for CSK. He asked me which division I played in, and I said that I played in the fifth division. He explained that they only took first division bowlers and no one else. See, he could have easily said no to me, but somehow, he just asked me to come meet him the next day,"

Despite being from the fifth division Varun was surprisingly given the first opportunity to bowl in the nets. What followed was a mix of nerves and magic.

He added,"The next day, I saw that every bowler there was from the first division, except me, who was from the lowest division. Something clicked with him, and he first gave the ball to me. He wanted to see what I was about. All the first division bowlers were waiting behind me. I was bowling to Bravo, and the first two balls were straight beamers.

"I was so nervous. After that, I started beating them and bowled really well to Bravo, Dhoni, Raina, and others. They were very impressed and asked if I'd registered for the IPL. All of this happened on Day 1 itself. When they asked if I had registered for the IPL, I told them that I hadn't even registered for the first division. So, they asked me to come to do net bowling for CSK," he revealed.

Varun's rise to fame

Varun was eventually signed by the Punjab Kings in 2019, but it was with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2020 onwards that his career really took off. From an unknown fifth-division spinner to becoming one of the most talked-about mystery spinners in Indian cricket, Varun Chakravarthy’s journey is a testament to perseverance and the opportunities