'It feels like a rebirth': Varun Chakravarthy on returning to international cricket with career-best figures

"After three long years, it was definitely emotional for me. Feels nice to be back in the Blues. It feels like a rebirth, I just want to stick to the process, that's what I have been following in the IPL as well," Varun Chakravarthy said.

Indian cricket team registered an impressive seven-wicket win over Bangladesh to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series on Sunday. Varun Chakravarthy made a sensational impact on his return to international cricket and called it 'rebirth' after the first game in Gwalior.

Indian bowlers were impressive to bowl out the visitors to just 127 while bowling first. With the majority of regular faces being rested, Suryakumar Yadav's young Indian side proved too strong for Bangladesh with the bowlers making the biggest impact.

Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy claimed three wickets each for the hosts with the latter producing his career-best figures of 3 for 31. Varun could have scalped four if Nitish Reddy had not dropped an easy catch early in the game. 

The 33-year-old Varun last played for India during the T20 World Cup 2021 but recent performances in the IPL and domestic cricket paved his way back after three years of a long gap. Varun revealed his happiness on donning the blue colour again and termed his return as an emotional feeling. He credited his performances in the IPL and TNPL and added that he is not thinking about his future role in the team.

"After three long years, it was definitely emotional for me," Varun told broadcasters after the match. "Feels nice to be back in the Blues. It feels like a rebirth, I just want to stick to the process, that's what I have been following in the IPL as well.

"I don't want to go beyond what's there and I just want to stay in the present, that's why I don't want to think too much or express too much. After IPL I played few tournaments and one of those was TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League); it's a very good tournament and high standard as well."

Meanwhile, Varun's 3 for 31 figures helped the hosts bowl out Bangladesh to 127 while bowling first. Hardik Pandya then smashed a brilliant 39* off just 16 balls to help India chase down the target in just 11.5 overs in Gwalior.