India vs England 2021: Varun Chakravarthy Fails Fitness Test For The 2nd Time; Rahul Chahar Set To Replace Him

Tamil Nadu and Kolkata Knight Riders leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s repeated failure to pass the fitness test has ruled him out of the five-match T20I series against England while left-arm pacer T Natarajan remains doubtful for at least the initial part of the series as he races against time to recover from his niggles.

Varun Chakravarthy, who had missed out on the Australian tour due to a shoulder injury, has failed to pass the mandatory Yo-Yo Test and the 2 km benchmark at least twice.

With Varun having not played a single competitive game since his shoulder injury in early November, questions are now being raised as to how the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee selected him in the first place.

“Varun Chakravarthy was selected because he recovered from his shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Australia series. He did his rehab at the NCA and started throwing normally. However, he has failed to clear the YoYo test mark stipulated for a 2km run at least twice,” a senior BCCI official on condition of anonymity told PTI.

“We can understand he was doing his rehab during Mushtaq Ali (T20 Championship). But then again, he didn’t play a single Vijay Hazare Trophy game. How do you assess his match fitness based on games that he played five months back? I guess Varun Chakravarthy is a lesson for selectors,” said the official.

“If a player is generally not maintaining the standards set by this Indian team, his bowling alone can’t be a criteria for selection.” the official added.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians leg-spinner Rahul Chahar is all set to be included in the T20I squad as he is already a part of the bio-bubble. Chahar was one of the net bowlers during the Test series.

Rahul Tewatia, who also failed his first fitness test, is awaiting results for his second Test. The T20I series between India and England kickstart from March 12.

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