Varun Chakravarthy speaks on Asia Cup preparations, backing from Gambhir-Surya in white-ball
India's campaign at the Asia Cup will kickstart from September 10 onwards against UAE. Spinner Varun, who has taken 33 wickets in 18 T20Is so far, looks forward to being a crucial addition in the Indian-set-up as he is on a roll since his international cricket return last year, taking two big five-wicket hauls in T20Is and one in ODIs during the ICC Champions Trophy winning campaign too.
Speaking to Boria Majumdar at Revsportz, he said about his preparation that he is having a one-month break and also worked on his "strength and conditioning, fitness, my bowling, my batting, and everything."
"The Asia Cup is coming up, and for the white-ball players, they have got a good break after the IPL. I did play TNPL [Tamil Nadu Premier League], but still I have got a one-month break right now. It has been a good time to work on my strength and conditioning, fitness, my bowling, my batting, and everything. I got time to rejuvenate my entire self in a holistic way. Feeling better because I got a lot of time to spend with my kid, my wife, my parents. Yes, I think, I have put in the hard yards. Now, the rest is up to the bigger force," he said.
Speaking on his plans for the ODI World Cup 2027, a format which he has played four times and taken 10 wickets with a five-wicket haul, Varun said that after Asia Cup, he aims to excel in white-ball tours for India.
"After the Asia Cup, there is a long streak of many white-ball tours coming up and they are challenging ones as well. So the primary goal will be to excel in all those tours, then hit the World Cup with good confidence and more clarity within myself and the process that I am trying to develop," he said.
The conditions in Dubai will suit Varun, as he took nine wickets in three matches during the ICC CT 2025. Varun said that while wickets in Dubai helped him, there are many factors that have to be in place for him to perform.
"One factor out of those is the ground conditions, and I hope they favours us. On the other hand, in IPL, you may have seen that the factors and conditions do not help the bowlers much. So, I am also used to bowling in such conditions. Hence, I am ready for both, but I am very eager to see how the pitches are at this point of the year in the UAE," he added.
Varun admitted that T20I skipper Surya and coach Gambhir played a big role in his comeback and before the tour of Bangladesh for T20Is, the skipper told him, "I am looking at you, let us see how the other things go, but I am keen on having you in the team set-up."
"Similarly, Gauti Bhai also has helped me a lot in my comeback, the way he motivates me. Even if we talk little, he has always given me good confidence and he has always told that "no matter who's going to ignore you, I will keep you in my plans for now".
So, that kind of gave me confidence. And if you ask about Gauti Bhai as a mentor, then I would say he brings in a warrior mindset in the dressing room, which is very important and has worked for us at KKR and in the Champions Trophy," he added.
Varun remarked that as seen during the 2-2 drawn Test tour to England, Gambhir brings energy to the dressing room and around him, "there is no mediocrity".
"You give everything you have and it does not matter whether you win or you lose. And about Surya, he is someone very similar to Rohit Sharma - that is what I've seen. He is a very tactically sound, and maybe his time at MI Mumbai Indians has given him good exposure to great captains. He is a very good guy and never puts pressure on the bowlers. It would be a bowler's delight to have a captain like him," he concluded.
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