 "Varun Chakravarthy added to Team India's squad for England ODIs; Jasprit Bumrah's name missing")
Leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been included to the Team India squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, the BCCI confirmed on Tuesday. Varun was seen training with the Men in Blue’s ODI squad in Nagpur ahead of Thursday’s first ODI. “The Men’s Selection Committee has added Varun Chakaravarthy to India’s squad for the upcoming 3-match ODI series against England,” the BCCI said in a statement on Tuesday.
Chakravarthy bowled against Indian batters at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium for more than an hour during the training session.
Varun Chakravarthy could make ODI debut vs England
Varun, who has played 18 T20Is, is yet to make his ODI debut and he could get that opportunity in the series against England, which is India’s last assignment before the 2025 Champions Trophy later in February. The 33-year-old was impressive during India’s recent 4-1 T20I series win over England, picking up 14 wickets from five matches.
Legendary India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin had hoped for Varun’s inclusion in the India squad for the Champions Trophy. India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign with a Group A match against Bangladesh on 20 February in Dubai. “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. There is a chance because all teams have named only a provisional squad. So, he might get picked," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
India already have four spinners in their squad for the Champions Trophy , namely Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar. It remains to be seen as to whom Varun could replace in the squad if he gets picked for the Champions Trophy.
Jasprit Bumrah’s name does not feature in India’s updated squad
An interesting development in the updated India squad for the ODI series against England is that it does not feature Jasprit Bumrah’s name. Earlier, it had been revealed that Harshit Rana would be Bumrah’s replacement for the first two ODIs against England, while Bumrah was expected to play the third ODI on 12 February to prove his fitness ahead of the Champions Trophy. However, now it seems like Bumrah could miss the ODI series against England.
Bumrah had sustained a back spasm on Day 2 of the fifth Test against Australia in January, and his injury has left his Champions Trophy fate hanging in the balance. Bumrah reached Bengaluru on Sunday for an assessment of the injury and a final call on his availability for the Champions Trophy will reportedly be taken after the outcome of the assessment.
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.
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