Earlier in October, KKR mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy featured in the news for a tattoo on his left hand. Tweeple assumed the tattoo to be of South Indian superstar Vijay and came to the conclusion that the Tamil Nadu cricketer is a fan of the actor.
The 29-year-old engineer-turned cricketer has proven the discussions right by revealing his love for Vijay. Varun, who got his maiden international call up following a good IPL season in the UAE, tweeted a photo of him with Vijay on Tuesday evening.
"Ulla vandha powera-di, Anna yaaru?… THALAPATHY.. #vaathicoming #vaathiraid #master #ThalapathyVijay," Varun captioned the picture in which he is seeing fist-bumping the Tamil actor.
'Master' is Vijay's next, which got its Diwali release postponed due to the pandemic. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the action flick has a star-studded lineup that includes Vijay Sethupathi, Malavika Mohanan, Arjun Das, Andrea Jeremiah, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Nassar among others.
Many fans pointed out that the fist-bumping click was not a random fanboy gesture from Varun. They claim it is a callback to the recently released teaser of 'Master' in which the two Vijays -- Thalapthy and Sethupathi -- are seen doing the same.
Chakravarthy was named in India's T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against Australia. He replaced Kuldeep Yadav as the fourth spinner in the 16-man squad.
A qualified architect from Tamil Nadu, Varun stands out for his calm demeanour and ability to read batsmen and situations - all these besides the deliveries that keep batsmen guessing. It has not happened automatically. He had to make a conscious effort. Self-analysis was part of the process.
"When I find something wrong with my bowling, I watch videos and study them. I don't panic and rush to a coach. Self-analysis has helped me understand my bowling better. I must say the time I spent at the KKR Academy before the IPL helped me stay in good shape physically and mentally. I had time to work on my game too," Varun told The New Indian Express from the UAE.
"It feels surreal to be picked for Australia T20Is. India call-up is definitely a big thing for me. I was really not expecting it," Chakravarthy had told bcci.tv in an interview.
Varun had picked up 17 wickets, including a five-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals, from 13 matches for the Knight Riders.