A discovery of the IPL, he had attracted the attention of selectors for his unconventional style of bowling and variations, with 17 and 18 wicket seasons in 2020 and 2021. But when you are thrown straight into a World Cup match India vs Pakistan in a packed arena, it can test the nerves of even the most hardened pros.

In the middle of the Dubai International Stadium on October 24, 2021, Chakravarthy was like a fish out of water, as he looked listless in front of Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. After the tournament, he was never picked again, so we could never know if it was stage fright or a lack of depth on the international stage. A poor IPL 2022 season hasn’t helped. A shadow of his previous version in the T20 league, he had a measly six wickets in 11 matches.

Although he regrouped in IPL 2023 to pick up an impressive tally of 20 wickets in 14 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders, the selectors were not convinced if he could make an impact on the international stage. He did well to back it up with another blockbuster performance in the 2024 edition where he picked 21 wickets to finish as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Even then, it is unclear whether his rich haul would have been enough to convince the selectors.

But to his advantage, the coaches, Gautam Gambir and Abhishek Nayar, of the IPL team he played for, were named in the Indian national team. Both Gambhir and Nayar know what Chakravarthy brings to the table. The 33-year-old was their key weapon in their spectacular IPL title run earlier this year, putting in a series of great performances in important matches.

In the league phase, he had played the role of catalyst in KKR’s two matches against Mumbai Indians. After taking 2/22 from four overs at the Wankhede Stadium, Eden Garden, he landed a double whammy with the valuable scalps of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya to finish with 2/17 from four overs.

He has consistently delivered such performances by making big breakthroughs. In Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad, as Sunrisers Hyderabad looked to consolidate with their dangerous power hitter Heinrich Klaasen along with Rahul Tripathi, taking their score from 39/4 to 101, the KKR leggie came and removed Klaasen (32 points out of 21). balls).

Although he benefited from Gambhir’s approach of clarifying the role of his players, Chakravarthy also spoke about the importance of the role Nayar plays in his game. Apart from being an assistant coach of KKR, Nayar has worked throughout the year with Chakravarthy and other players as the KKR academy coach.

Explaining the details of the process behind the player’s resurgence, Nayar told an IPL press conference: “We (had) discussed a lot about what went wrong (in 2022), also when you play season after season , teams tend to target you differently… there’s a clear difference in how he uses deliveries that go a lot more than last year.

The former Mumbai and India all-rounder said he countered the batters by working on Chakravarthy to give more rev to the ball, in turn extracting more bounce and generating speed off the field.

For Chakravarthy, having a clear challenge in front of him helps him thrive. During an interview with IPL Channel, when asked about his sensational form, he said: “I definitely tend to play better when I have a challenge in front of me, or I can try something different and I can do it. become a father. If I know what I have to do, I do better.

In the upcoming series against Bangladesh, Chakravarthy may not be able to play right away, but he should get a chance. It will also help determine whether the World Cup failure was a case of stage fright or whether it was a lack of depth on the international stage.