Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy has revealed a deeply disturbing chapter in his career, speaking about the backlash and abuse he faced after testing positive for COVID-19 during the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Chakravarthy was one of the first players to test positive ahead of the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The match was initially postponed but the situation quickly escalated, forcing the Board of Control for Cricket in India to suspend play midway through the season after 29 games as COVID-19 cases began to breach the team’s bio-isolation bubble.
Apart from Chakravarthy, KKR pacer Sandeep Warrier also tested positive in the camp.
Looking back on the period when he appeared on the YouTube show Journey to Jersey, Chakravarthy described the emotional toll it took for fans to be held accountable for the sudden interruption of play.
“The worst thing is that IPL was stopped in 2021. It was stopped midway because I got Covid. I was the first person to test positive. So the whole IPL was stopped,” Chakravarthy said.
At the time, reports emerged that the mystery spinner had left the bio-secure environment with official permission to receive treatment for a shoulder problem, where he was likely exposed to the virus.
What followed, however, was a wave of online abuse that left a lasting impact on him.
“I was abused. At that time, IPL was the only way for people to pass their time. They were so angry that the game was stopped. People said, ‘Why don’t you just go and die.'” That was too bad,” he added.
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Despite going through this tough period, Chakravarthy has remained a key figure for KKR. In the last IPL season, he ranked seventh with 17 wickets at an average of 22.52 and an economy rate of 7.66, with his best figures being 3 in 22. In 83 games with the team, he took 99 wickets at an average of 23.74, including two 4-wicket hauls and a best of 5 in 20 matches.
He also made a major impact in the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where he was the joint-highest wicket-taker with Jasprit Bumrah with 14 wickets, despite conceding a wicket-rate of 9.25.
