Varun Chakravarthy is a name that Indians now recognise as the man who spins a web around opposition batters with his mystery bowling.
But Chakravarthy ain't no one-trick pony.
The 33 year old has donned many a hat before settling into his primary role of bamboozling batters.
In 2014, the six footer acted in a Tamil film that mirrors his own life experiences.
Starring Vishnu Vishal and Sri Divya, the movie Jeeva, a sports drama that centres around a cricketer's struggle against much odds before finally creating his identity at top level cricket, Chakravarthy has a bit role as a cricketer.
In June 2023 he appeared in the popular Tamil show Cooku With Comali.
Although he loved cricket, Chakravarthy, who has a bachelor's degree in architecture from SRM University, initially pursued a career in architecture before getting into professional cricket at age 26.
His journey into the sport was not as a bowler but as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
At the CromBest Cricket Club he also did some seam bowling but a knee injury forced him to reinvent himself as a spinner..
Varun's breakthrough came in the 2017-2018 season when he took 31 wickets in seven games for Jubilee Cricket Club in a one-day tournament.
His performances in the 2018 Tamil Nadu Premier League caught the attention of IPL scouts and was soon roped into the Kolkata Knight Riders nets.
From then on, the Karnataka-born cricketer has beaten the odds.
His last stint with the Indian team in the UAE, during the 2021 T20 World Cup, was one to forget, but four years later, he has redeemed himself to become an invaluable asset for the Indian cricket team.
© 2025