Tamil Nadu spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who has impressed with his performances for IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders didn't receive a call up from Team India after the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021. Varun received a call into Team India squad for the T20 World Cup campaign in Dubai immediately after the IPL 2021 second half where Varun helped his team KKR reach the finals. Varun's guile and the ability to turn the ball both ways makes a potent weapon in the shorter format of the game. Although it was thought that Varun will be a success for India with his mystery just like Ajantha Mednis, Sunil Narine or Rashid Khan, his stint with Team India was extremely short lived. Recently Varun revealed in an interview that someone spread rumours about his 'Injury' and it was the cause that left him out of the Indian Cricket Team. IPL 2024 Schedule To Be Announced Once Lok Sabha Election Dates Are Out, Upcoming Indian Premier League Season To Start From March End, Says Chairman Arun Dhumal.

After the T20 World Cup, reports with the claim of Varun carrying an injury surface which was cited as a reason for his non-selection in the following tours. “It was very tough because right after I finished the World Cup, it was not a big injury; it was a very small injury. It just took me two or three weeks to be back on track, but after that, I got sidelined, and people kept giving the same excuse that I am injured, but on the other hand, I was not injured all that while. I don’t know, [if] it was just a rumour, or someone just wanting to spread this news about me so that they can sideline me. But that’s how life is; it is unfair. It was very hard on me,” Chakaravarthy said in an interview with CricXtasy.

Varun played three matches in the T20 World Cup 2021 where India suffered two big losses against Pakistan and New Zealand and got knocked out of the competition. Varun had a pretty poor IPL 2021 where he was expensive and didn't make the same impact as he did in the 2020 and the 2021 editions but returned strong in 2022 scalping 20 wickets in the 14 matches he played for KKR. 'Our Players and Their Better Halves' Mumbai Indians Share 'Romantic' Post on Valentine's Day 2024.

“IPL 2022 was not a great season because what happened in 2021 after the World Cup got within me, and I was very desperate to be back in the Indian side. So I wanted to prove to everyone. I was being very desperate. I started changing many things in my bowling, which finally affected my mental peace, and I was not able to do my normal bowling also. So that IPL was bad for me,” he added. Varun hasn’t played any cricket in 2024 after last playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last year for Tamil Nadu. He is next expected to be seen in the upcoming IPL, dates of which aren’t confirmed yet.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 14, 2024 07:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).