From Architect Job To ICC Top Spot: Varun Chakravarthy's Rise As No. 1 T20 Bowler

From relinquishing a high-profile job to claiming the top spot in ICC rankings, Indian wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s career has been nothing less than a fairy tale.

Carrying forward his sensational series of performances, Chakravarthy has now become the top-ranked bowler in the ICC's men's T20I rankings. After Jasprit Bumrah and leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi, he is just the third Indian bowler to reach the pinnacle of T20I bowlers’ standings.

Chakravarthy’s big ranking boost came right after his impressive performances of 1/4 against the UAE and 1/24 against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup tournament. He toppled New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy to claim the top spot.

In recent times, Chakravarthy has been producing exceptional performances in both international and domestic cricket but it was not long ago when the 34-year-old had to take a tough call in choosing his career path.

From being an architect to making movies, he had a vast array of ambitions. It was eventually cricket in which he found his calling. Chakravarthy himself opened up on being a late entrant into the gentleman’s game.

"So, I started cricket very late, pretty late, when I was 26, I started cricket, so before that my dreams were all building, being an architect and making movies," Chakravarthy told reporters, as per the Indian Express. "I’ve had different career paths, so it has been different, after 26 is what I started dreaming about cricket and all those things are happening, so yeah, it’s been good right now."

Even in the field of cricket, Chakravarthy had to deal with some selection dilemmas. He had started his career as a wicket-keeper during school days and later became a medium pacer. Chakravarthy finally settled as a spin bowler, a mystery spinner to be exact.

Chakravarthy made his international debut in a T20I match against Sri Lanka in July 2021. His ODI debut happened earlier this year in February against England. The leggie rose to prominence in the shortest format with his two potent weapons, carrom ball and googly, in his armoury.

Having made some changes to his bowling, Chakravarthy transformed himself into a genuine force to be reckoned with in the Indian Premier League.

In the IPL 2024 edition, Chakravarthy was the second-highest wicket-taker of the season. He finished with 21 wickets, just three behind the Purple Cap winner of that season, Harshal Patel. The change paid off in the 50-over format as well. Chakravarthy has been the top wicket-taker among the spinners across the last two seasons of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.

In ODIs, Chakravarthy has 10 wickets under his belt in four matches. In T20Is, he has picked up 35 wickets in 20 games. Chakravarthy may have reached the top spot in T20I bowlers’ rankings but his job is not done yet. With India hoping to lift the Asia Cup title, Chakravarthy will have to carry forward his brilliance in order to achieve that.