Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy described his return to the Indian cricket team after a three-year gap as an emotional "rebirth," following a match-winning performance in the first T20I against Bangladesh on Sunday (October 6).
Chakravarthy's impressive spell of 3/31 helped India bundle out Bangladesh for a low total of 127 in 19.5 overs at the New Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, Gwalior.
In reply, the Men in Blue achieved the target in just 11.5 overs thanks to sizeable contributions from Hardik Pandya (39* off 16), skipper Suryakumar Yadav (29 off 14) and Sanju Samson (29 off 19).
"After three long years, it was definitely emotional for me. Feels nice to be back in the Blues. It feels like a rebirth," Chakravarthy told Jio Cinema in a post-match interview. "I just want to stick to the process, that's what I have been following in the IPL as well."
Chakravarthy said his focus was on staying grounded and enjoying the moment rather than setting lofty expectations for the future.
"I don't want to go beyond what's there. I just want to stay in the present," he added. "After the IPL, I played a few tournaments, and one of those was the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). It's a very good tournament with a high standard."
Chakravarthy also attributed his resurgence to senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, highlighting their work together during the TNPL as a significant confidence boost.
"Working with Ashwin bhai during TNPL really worked well for me. We won the championship as well, and that gave me the confidence here. It was good preparation for this series."
Chakravarthy had fair share of challenges in the match as a dropped catch off his bowling in his first over could have hampered his spirits. However, he remained philosophical about the incident, saying, "It could have gone my way, but that's how cricket is. I can't complain, thankful to God."
Reflecting on the struggles he faced during his time away from the Indian team, Chakravarthy said: "Once you're not in the Indian side, people tend to write you off very easily. You need to stay at the highest level and keep knocking on the door. Thankfully, this time it happened. Hopefully, I can continue my good work."
With this victory, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. The second game of the series is slated to be held in Delhi on Wednesday (October 9).
