In Sunday’s first Twenty20 International in Gwalior, Varun Chakaravarthy made a triumphant comeback to the Indian cricket squad with a superb performance. The off-spinner reappeared after a three-year break, unleashing his mystery balls and easily tricking the batsmen. In the end, he claimed three wickets in his match of return.

But one important element of Chakaravarthy’s comeback is a little but important technological change. “Although it’s a little technical difference in spin bowling, I’ve totally switched from being a side-spin bowler to an over-spin bowler now. It took me more than two years to get from side spin to over spin,” Varun said in a media interview.

“Over the course of these three years, the majority of the work that I did was in my technical aspect,” the Indian Express reported him as saying.

Chakaravarthy’s time in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), where he competed under R Ashwin’s guidance, also facilitated his return to the Indian squad.

Chakaravarthy’s confidence was restored and his talents were sharpened, thanks in large part to Ashwin’s advice and encouragement.

After his successful India return, Chakravarthy says he is enjoying the benefits of using over-spin to the ball rather than side-spin.

Varun remarked, “I used to be a side-spin bowler, but right now, I have completely shifted to being an over-spin bowler,” after India’s seven-wicket victory.

“Spin bowling is a really complex sport, yet it took me more than two years to master it. I tried it out progressively in both TNPL and IPL. Although the mental component required attention as well, my technical side required the most of my effort.”

“I used to wonder, ‘Why is my name not there?’ whenever a squad was announced. I used to constantly think about that.” That gave me some reason to stay here, so I should not go.

“I began playing a lot of domestic games and giving it priority, thinking that I should go all out and make a return. That was sort of helpful to me,” the soft-spoken batsman said.