Shubman Gill officially announces Varun Chakravarthy's inclusion in India ODI squad for England series

India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is likely to make his ODI debut in the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, starting on February 6 in Nagpur. Chakravarthy has been added to India’s ODI squad for the upcoming ODI series against England.

The Indian selectors and the team management have decided to try out Varun Chakravarthy in the ODIs after his sensational performances in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against England, where he finished with 14 wickets to win the Player of the Series award.

Varun Chakravarthy joins India's ODI squad for England series

Speaking to the media, India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill confirmed that Varun Chakravarthy has been added to the squad for the ODI series against England. The mystery spinner was spotted training with the Indian team in Nagpur.

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On Tuesday, February 4, Chakravarthy was seen bowling for over an hour against the Indian batters during the training session at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, which hints at his ODI debut in the three-match ODI series opener against England on Thursday.

However, the BCCI has not yet made any official announcement regarding Chakravarthy’s inclusion in the ODI squad. Notably, Cuttack and Ahmedabad will host the second and third ODIs on February 9 and 12 following the India vs. England series opener in Nagpur.

Varun Chakravarthy's stellar List-A stats sparks ICC Champions Trophy 2025 selection hopes

Notably, Varun Chakravarthy may have played only 23 List A games, but his performances have been exceptional in the 50-over cricket. The leg-spinner has taken 59 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 19.8 in his 23 white-ball appearances in domestic cricket.

The mystery spinner also had an incredible Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024, where he finished as the second highest wicket-taker with 18 wickets and the best figures of 5/9 and a remarkable average of 12.16. He has been in excellent form, and he would love to grab the opportunity with both hands, keeping in mind the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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The Indian selectors have already picked four spinners—Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav—in the squad, so it would be interesting to see whether Chakravarthy could find a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad.

BCCI will confirm their final squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on February 12, and if Chakravarthy manages to replicate his T20I series performance in the upcoming ODI series against England, things would become challenging for the selectors.

Ravichandran Ashwin predicted Varun Chakravarthy's ODI selection

Earlier, Ravichandran Ashwin had predicted that Chakravarthy could make his ODI debut in the upcoming England series, but he was not sure whether the spinner would be able to replace one of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, or Kuldeep Yadav in India’s squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Ashwin had said in a video posted on his YouTube channel, “I have a feeling that Varun might get a chance to play in the ODI series between India and England. I don’t think it’s an easy call to take him directly to the Champions Trophy.”