ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Varun Chakravarthy injured in a huge blow for India
Published - 12 Feb 2025, 01:43 PM
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Hours after being named in India’s squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Varun Chakravarthy suffered an injury that ruled him out of the third and final ODI against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday (February 12).
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir dropped Yashasvi Jaiswal to bring in his KKR student Varun Chakravarthy into the final squad for the upcoming prestigious tournament. But it seems that Gambhir’s planning is all set to backfire, as Varun was ruled out of the Ahmedabad ODI due to a sore calf.
Varun Chakravarthy ruled out of the Ahmedabad ODI against England
After losing the toss for the 10th consecutive time in the ODI cricket, Rohit Sharma confirmed that Varun Chakravarthy has a sore calf, due to which the leg-spinner could not take part in the third and final ODI against England in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Well, the Men in Blue have made three changes to their playing XI, as they rested Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami for the Ahmedabad ODI, and they have been replaced by Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh. On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav came in place of Varun in the playing XI.
After England captain Jos Buttler won the toss at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Indian captain Rohit Sharma hailed the young Indian players for their brilliant fielding. While confirming the changes, Rohit stressed that they just want to give freedom to the young guns to flourish early in their careers.
Rohit Sharma makes an unwanted record as India captain in ODI cricket
Rohit Sharma said at the toss: “I wanted to bat first and put runs on the board because we bowled first in the last two games. It was important for us to get a win in the last game. The fielders portrayed themselves well in the last two games, a lot of young blood. We want to continue to do well in the field. They are pretty new in their careers so we want to keep the pressure away from them. let them do their own and they have got a lot of potential.”
Speaking about the changes, the Indian skipper said: “We have made some changes - Jadeja and Shami have been rested, unfortunately Varun has a sore calf. So, Washi, Kuldeep and Arshdeep come into the side.”
Notably, India has now lost the toss in 10 consecutive matches in the ODI cricket. This is the second longest streak behind the Netherlands, who lost 11 tosses between March 2011 and August 2013. India had won the toss last time in the 2023 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand at Wankhede.
Jos Buttler makes strategic call to bowl first in the third ODI against India
On the other hand, England captain Jos Buttler revealed that he decided to bowl first due to the expected dew and the possibility of the pitch offering some spin later in the game in Ahmedabad. He pointed out that it would be a different experience for the England team as they batted first in the first two ODIs in India, especially keeping in mind the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Buttler also mentioned that the pitch looks similar to the one used against New Zealand during the 2023 ODI World Cup, with black soil that typically plays better in the second half. The England captain also said that they made one change to their lineup, bringing in Tom Banton to replace Jamie Overton for the third and final ODI against India.
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Varun Chakravarthy India National Cricket Team India vs England IND vs ENG ICC Champions Trophy
