New Delhi: Change appears to be on the horizon as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has joined the India squad ahead of the ODI series opener against England. Chakravarthy, who was India’s standout bowler in the recent 5-match T20I series against England, has garnered support from many to make his way into the ODI squad. Despite not being named in the original lineup for the ODI series, he has been spotted with the team in Nagpur, where the first ODI is set to take place on Thursday.
There had been speculation about Varun Chakravarthy‘s inclusion in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, ultimately decided to leave him out of the prestigious event. The Kolkata Knight Riders’ spinner was also not picked for the ODI series against England, despite his impressive performances in the T20I series.
However, with Varun Chakravarthy spotted training with the Indian team in Nagpur, the management has dropped a significant hint about a potential change in plans, suggesting that he could still have a role to play in the upcoming matches.
Chakravarthy was named the player of the series against England after taking an impressive 14 wickets in 5 matches. Despite his standout performance, the mystery spinner has yet to make his ODI debut, leaving fans eagerly anticipating his potential inclusion in the format.
Varun Chakravarthy has received backing for a spot in the Champions Trophy squad from none other than Ravichandran Ashwin. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed his belief that the Kolkata Knight Riders star would be on the flight to Dubai for the prestigious tournament, which is set to begin on February 19.
The BCCI has only announced the provisional India squad for the Champions Trophy, and Chakravarthy is not part of it. However, changes can still be made to the roster until February 11. If Chakravarthy is to make the cut, he will need to impress the selectors during the ongoing ODI series against England. It remains uncertain whether he will be included in the opening match, but his inclusion in the final squad is still a possibility.
India’s squad for the three-match ODI series includes: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja.
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