Nagpur, Feb 4
Off-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who emerged as the leading wicket-taker for India in the recently concluded T20I series against England, has been added to the squad for the upcoming ODI series starting on February 6.Chakravarthy joined Team India ahead of the first ODI here. His inclusion comes on the back of an impressive T20I series, where he claimed 14 wickets at an average of under 10. The England batsmen struggled to decode his variations, making him a crucial weapon in India’s bowling attack. Prominent cricketing figures, including veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, had earlier advocated for Chakravarthy’s selection in the Champions Trophy squad. Ashwin stated, “We are all talking about whether he should have been there (Champions Trophy squad), I am thinking there is a chance he might be there. I have a feeling he might make it.”
With Chakravarthy’s inclusion, India now have five spin-bowling options for the England ODIs. It remains to be seen which four spinners will make the cut for the ICC Champions Trophy, with the final squad submission deadline set for February 11.
Team India:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman 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 Chakravarthy.
