Varun Chakravarty

en years ago, Varun Chakravarthy acted in 'Jeeva', a Tamil film about a young cricketer who fought the system and defied the odds to play for India. That was the beginning of a remarkable journey of an outlier who has defied convention to reach somewhere in life that's worthwhile to talk about. Young Varun dabbled in acting. He had a regular job as an architect at a firm, but felt that wasn't his only calling in life. His cricketing career started as a net bowler who was paid 500 rupees a session to bowl at Anirudha Srikkanth, the son of former Indian captain and opener Kris Srikkanth. Since he had no formal cricket training, Chakravarthy watched videos on YouTube of Anil Kumble, Rashid Khan, and Adam Zampa as he attempted to decode how to bowl leg spin. As someone who played A-Grade cricket in Australia as a leg spinner, I can speak from personal experience that bowling leg spin is the toughest art to master in cricket. You either have it or you don't. In due course of time, Varun landed an IPL contract with the Punjab franchise, and got to play a solitary game. But his life changed when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who were always on the lookout for cricketers that offered a point of difference took a chance on him. And he hasn't looked back ever since. After Gautam Gambhir became the Indian team coach, he brought Varun back in the T20 team in 2024. And then came the masterstroke of selecting him as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement in the CT 2025 squad before captain Rohit Sharma included him in the playing eleven at such a high stakes tournament. Chakravarthy played three matches in the Champions Trophy and finished as the second highest wicket taker. As he walked up the dias to receive his winner's medal in Dubai last night, anyone who's on the downside of advantage could be telling themselves that dreams do come true. Actor, architect, a self-taught leg spinner, and now a Champions Trophy winner with the Indian cricket team, Varun Chakravarthy's life story is a timely reminder of the classic Tolkien quote: "Not all those who wander are lost". The best part? There are more chapters to be added in his journey.