The BCCI senior selection committee on Tuesday confirmed the inclusion of mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy to the ODI side ahead of the three-match series against England.
There were speculations of his inclusion in the squad after Varun was spotted training with the India squad, preparing for the ODI series against England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Tuesday.
The Rohit Sharma-led team, including star batter Virat Kohli, arrived in Nagpur on Monday, a day after concluding the T20I series in Mumbai. While Varun was missing with the rest of the squad in visuals from the Nagpur airport on Monday, his presence during India’s training session on Tuesday afternoon fuelled speculations of his inclusion.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has added Varun Chakaravarthy to India’s squad for the upcoming 3-match ODI series against England,” a BCCI media release confirmed.
Though not officially part of India’s ICC Champions Trophy squad yet, Varun’s addition to the ODI squad, could also open doors for his inclusion in the final squad for the marquee tournament, in which India will play all their matches in Dubai.
The BCCI’s senior selection committee had initially ignored Varun while announcing a provisional India squad for the Champions Trophy. However, with changes allowed until February 12, his performance in the ODI series could determine his selection for the Champions Trophy.
With the Champions Trophy starting February 19 and uncertainty surrounding star quick Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness, the selectors are running against time to finalise the squad. Bumrah, who has been out of competitive cricket since the Sydney Test, is being closely monitored by the board’s medical team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
In the scenario of Bumrah missing out, sources said that selectors are keeping an eye on Harshit Rana as a possible replacement, and with Kuldeep Yadav, the first-choice pick for the spinner’s role, also returning from injury, the team management will be keen to test Varun in the 50-over format.
Varun’s inclusion in the ODI squad comes a day after former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had hinted at the possibility of the mystery spinner featuring in India’s Champions Trophy squad.
The Tamil Nadu spinner had a sensational run in the recently-concluded T20I series, which India won 4-1. The spinner won the Player of the Series award for taking 14 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, in five matches.
“I have a feeling that Varun might get a chance to play in the ODi series between India and England. I don’t think it’s an easy call to take him directly to the Champions Trophy. He has not played ODIs. I have a feeling they will give him a chance in the India vs England ODI series,” Ashwin had predicted on his Youtube channel.
“If they don’t give him a chance here, then it’s difficult. But, nevertheless, I congratulate Varun for his first player of the tournament award. He is the Chakravarthy of T20I cricket at the moment. I wish he grows more and more,” he added.
India’s updated squad for ODI series against England: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.