Hours after in-form mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was spotted training in Nagpur with the Indian ODI squad for the series against England, he was officially included in the team after being ignored for the contest. Subsequently, this sparked speculations over whether India are considering the 33-year-old as an option for the Champions Trophy. India captain Rohit Sharma eventually cleared up the stance on Wednesday in the pre-match presser.
Speaking to the media at the VCA Stadium, ahead of the opening game of the three-match series, Rohit said that the selection certainly put Chakaravarthy in contention for a place in the Champions Trophy, but it would depend entirely on his performance.
“Yeah look, he has certainly shown something different. I understand that it is a T20 format but he has clearly got something different about him. So we just wanted to have an option and see what we can do with him,” the 37-year-old said.
“Clearly during the series it presents us an opportunity to play him at some stage and see what he is capable of. Right now we are not thinking about whether we are going to take him or not but definitely he will be in contention. If things plan out really well for us and he does what is required then definitely there is something that we need to think about,” the Indian skipper added.
A look at Varun Chakaravarthy's white-ball credentials
The Tamil Nadu spinner was the pick of the bowlers in the recently-concluded T20I series against England, where he picked 14 wickets in five innings. Prior to that, Chakaravarthy emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which ended last month, with 18 wickets in six innings at just 12.16. Overall, he has played 23 List A games for Tamil Nadu, picking 59 wickets at 21.15, with three five-wicket hauls, one of which was taken during the team's quarter-final against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy clash in Vadodara.
{{/usCountry}}The Tamil Nadu spinner was the pick of the bowlers in the recently-concluded T20I series against England, where he picked 14 wickets in five innings. Prior to that, Chakaravarthy emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which ended last month, with 18 wickets in six innings at just 12.16. Overall, he has played 23 List A games for Tamil Nadu, picking 59 wickets at 21.15, with three five-wicket hauls, one of which was taken during the team's quarter-final against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy clash in Vadodara.
{{/usCountry}}However, with India having picked four spinners for the Champions Trophy, it is to be seen who will make way for Chakaravarthy, if he does impress the selectors and the management.