According to reports, India has added a spinner to their current roster of four for the ODI series against England.
On February 4, Varun Chakravarthy, a mystery spinner, was seen practicing with the Indian ODI team. The spinner for the Kolkata Knight Riders was spotted bowling in the nets as the Indian squad, captained by Rohit Sharma, got ready for the February 6 start of the three-match series against England. The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur hosted the training session in the afternoon.
Although there were long-running rumors that Chakravarthy would be included in India’s Champions Trophy team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee, which was chaired by Ajit Agarkar, chose not to include him in the prestigious tournament. The spinner for the Kolkata Knight Riders was also left out of the ODI series against England.
The management has, however, given a strong indication of a significant shift in strategy after witnessing him train with the Indian squad in Nagpur.
Chakravarthy took an incredible 14 wickets in 5 games against England, earning him the title of player of the series. But the mystery spinner hasn’t played in an ODI yet.
Ravichandran Ashwin has also supported Chakravarthy for the Champions Trophy selection. Ashwin stated in a video posted on his YouTube channel that he believes the KKR player will be traveling to Dubai for the Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19.
Chakravarthy is not included in the India team’s provisional Champions Trophy squad, which has been revealed by the BCCI. On the other hand, roster modifications are permitted through February 11. Chakravarthy would have to convince the selectors in the ODI series against England if he wanted to be included. It is unknown at this time, though, if he will be selected for the opener.
India squad for three-match ODI series: 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, Ravindra Jadeja.
