Varun Chakravarthy says Gautam Gambhir has injected a “Spartan mentality” into the India set-up, leaving “no option of losing” whenever the side takes the field. The top-ranked T20I bowler, speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday, also thanked Gambhir and T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for backing him after almost three years out of the national team.
“Definitely one thing which I can say about [Gambhir] is he brings a Spartan mentality to the team where there is no option of losing. You just have to bring your best and give everything on the ground and later on, whatever happens, happens,” Varun said. “When he is around, there is no mediocrity – you can’t be mediocre in the field, that’s what I feel.”
The leg-spinner’s international journey has hardly been straightforward. He debuted in July 2021 but struggled during that year’s T20 World Cup and lost his place soon after. A pair of strong IPL campaigns forced selectors to reconsider and, in October 2024, he was recalled. Since then he has become a fixture in India’s T20I XI, broken into the ODI side and played a decisive role in the Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year.
“When I made my comeback again, Surya and GG [Gambhir], they spoke to me and they told me that we are looking at you as one of the wicket-takers. And they have backed me throughout. For that, I have to give them the credit,” he said. “I was out of the team for more than three years, but I did have a consecutive good IPL. For them to recognise that and bring me into the team was great for me.”
Varun has been rested for the upcoming ODI series in Australia, yet those conversations with Gambhir continue. The coach, he revealed, wants him to be ready for longer spells and to work on his batting to widen his one-day prospects.
“Basically, the conversations were around bowling longer spells. Because in T20, you maximum bowl two overs back-to-back. But in ODIs, you have to bowl five to six overs back-to-back, which I did work on and I was able to do it in the Champions Trophy,” Varun explained. “And he wants me to bat a little more up the order in domestic circuit and improve on my batting.”
That attention to detail mirrors the broader approach Gambhir has brought since taking charge. Players speak of an environment that is demanding but clear in its messaging. Varun, with his mix of pace through the air and skiddy bounce, has responded well; his economy rate in T20Is since the comeback sits comfortably under seven runs an over, while his strike rate has improved, too.
There is admiration, but also learning, from fellow spinners. “Kuldeep is definitely one of the most experienced bowlers right now in the pool of players that we have and he has done amazingly well,” Varun noted. “I bowl at the speeds of 95kph and he bowls around 85kph, so we kind of complement each other. He has more revs and more turn, I have more speed and bounce, so till now it’s been working well for us. Hopefully, we can do the same thing in the World Cup also.”
Plenty still lies ahead: an Australian tour, a looming World Cup and the grind of another IPL. Yet, for a bowler who once wondered if his India dream had passed, the present feels secure. Gambhir’s philosophy may be unforgiving, but Varun seems to relish the standard it sets. “When he is around, there is no mediocrity,” he said again, almost as a reminder to himself as much as anyone else.
