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Varun Chakaravarthy, despite recent success, believes he can’t be compared to Ravichandran Ashwin.
Varun Chakravarthy. (Picture Credit: AP)
Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy said on Saturday that he hasn’t ‘reached a stage’ where he can be compared to recently retired India legend Ravichandran Ashwin. He said he was ‘not even close’ to Ashwin’s achievements for India and for now, just wanted to follow his processes instead of trying to fill the big shoes.
Tamil Nadu has gifted a reformed and revolutionized Chakaravarthy to India’s T20I set-up, neatly coinciding with Ashwin’s retirement from Tests. Since 2024, Chakaravarthy has been in stunning form, winning the IPL Purple Cap, being among the top wicket-takers in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and making his India comeback with 20 T20I wickets in just eight matches.
“Comparing him to me is big,” Chakaravarthy told the media ahead of India’s second T20I against England at their common home, Chepauk.
“Ashwin has played all three formats. I am just making a comeback. I haven’t reached a stage where I can be compared to him. But still, everybody, when they make it to the Indian team, wants to play for a long time. I am following my process. Let the hard work take me where it can. It’s better that way. I am not thinking about filling someone’s shoes. Ashwin’s shoes are too big to fill. He has taken 500-plus Test wickets. I am not even close yet,” he added.
Chakaravarthy, though on an upward trajectory after being dropped in 2021, is 33 years old, just five years younger to Ashwin. That would make it impossible for him to match the legend’s 14 years of service for India but he has two big World Cups — T20 in 2026 and ODI in 2027 — to aim for.
Peak into Chakaravarthy’s mind
The Kolkata Knight Riders spinner also spoke about how he goes about his bowling, and the combination of planning and instincts he puts into place.
“Initially, the plan will be the same. I will see how they are trying to approach me. It’s all instinctive. Basically, you have certain plans for certain batters, but if they are trying something different, you have to rely on instinct,” Chakaravarthy said.
“The first thing is preparation—looking at the batter, understanding their release shots, and checking if they have added a new shot to their repertoire. I definitely do that research. Based on that, and on the pitch conditions, I make certain calculations. Some shots work on certain pitches, while others don’t. So I plan accordingly,” he added.
Chakaravarthy will be in action in the second T20I, which starts at 7pm IST on Saturday.
