Varun Chakravarthy Has Been Added To ODI Squad
Varun Chakravarthy, the Indian spinner, has been included into the ODI squad for the three-match series against England following his brilliant feat in five T20Is.
Varun travelled with the squad to Nagpur, where the first ODI will be played, and trained on Tuesday before the series opener on Thursday. In the T20I series, which ended in an Indian victory by 4-1, he emerged as the highest wicket-taker, accounting for 14 wickets at an average of 9.86 and an economy of 7.66.
Varun is uncapped in ODIs, and this is his first inclusion in the squad. He has participated in only 23 List A games and has the accolade of second highest wicket-taker in this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy, having felled 18 wickets off six matches for Tamil Nadu. The sheer depth of spinners – now with the addition of Varun Chakravarthy – enhances an already established spin-attack comprising Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.
Varun’s selection is, in fact, more than just news, as these ODIs against England will mark the first 50-over competition being played by India since August last year and only the series before the Champions Trophy slated for May later this year. A few of the specialist bowlers in the Champions Trophy squad, such as Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah, are recovering from injuries. Bumrah has been included in the ODI squad only for the third ODI against England, while Harshit Rana has been named in the squad for the first two games.
India play against England in Nagpur, and then in Cuttack and Ahmedabad on February 6, 9, and 12, respectively, before heading to Dubai for the Champions Trophy. They can change the Champions Trophy squad until February 11 without requiring approval from the ICC.
Updated ODI Squad Against England
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana (first two ODIs), Jasprit Bumrah (third ODI), Varun Chakravarthy
Also Read: India Vs England 5th T20 Match Report
