Watch: Varun Chakravarthy receives ODI debut cap from Ravindra Jadeja, becomes India's second-oldest debutant
Published - 09 Feb 2025, 01:12 PM | Updated - 09 Feb 2025, 01:40 PM
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After leaving English batters scratching their heads with his unorthodox spin in the recent five-match T20I series, Varun Chakravarthy is all set to create more chaos in the ongoing three-match ODI series. Actually, India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is making his ODI debut in the second ODI against England on Sunday, February 9, in Cuttack.
Varun Chakravarthy received his ODI cap from the senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja just before the second ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.
Varun Chakravarthy becomes India's second-oldest ODI debutant
After getting his debut cap, Chakravarthy became India’s second-oldest ODI debutant at 33 years and 164 days old after Farokh Engineer, who made his debut at 36 years in 1974.
Additionally, Chakravarthy becomes the oldest player to make his ODI debut for India, excluding those from their first-ever match in 1974. It is a clear hint that the leg-spinner is all but confirmed to get a Dubai ticket for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Varun Chakravarthy making his odi debut in the second odi against England!
— CRICKETNMORE (@cricketnmore) February 9, 2025
Ravindra Jadeja hands Varun his debut cap! 🧢#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/iJqxyRRV4T
Varun Chakravarthy got the odi debut cap from Sir Jadeja. You might look surprised , why did he get the cap even though he won't be playing in the champions trophy 🏆 #INDvENG #ODI pic.twitter.com/s5cVHlRgI2
— Yugal (@iamYugal18) February 9, 2025
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) February 9, 2025
Meanwhile, Chakravarthy, who scalped 14 wickets in the T20I series against England, has the best bowling average among players who have taken more than 50 wickets in the List A cricket. With an exceptional average of 14.13, Chakravarthy stands tall, surpassing the likes of Chanuka Dilshan (14.91), followed by Rajendra Dhanraj (15.83), Keith Boyce (16.05), and Ali Khan (16.10).
Kuldeep Yadav is rested, so Varun Chakravarthy makes his debut: Rohit Sharma
After the toss that was won by England, who opted to bat first in Cuttack, Indian captain Rohit Sharma revealed that they had decided to hand the ODI debut cap to Chakravarthy because they rested the chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav for the second ODI on Sunday.
Rohit also said that Yashasvi Jaiswal was dropped from the playing XI to make way for Virat Kohli in Cuttack. The Indian skipper said that Shreyas Iyer showed great attitude and played really well and deserved to retain his place for the second ODI against England.
Rohit Sharma said at the toss, “It was a good performance in the first game. That's what I loved about it. The energy was very good despite not being on the field for a while. It was superb to watch after losing two wickets. Shreyas prides himself on that intent and attitude and not to forget the contributions of Shubman and Axar as well. Black soil pitch, not sure. Maybe play on the slower side; that's what I expect. Two changes: Jaiswal makes way for Virat. Kuldeep is rested, so Varun makes his debut.”
Varun Chakravarthy visits Jagannath Puri Temple before second ODI against England
Meanwhile, ahead of the second ODI against England, Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar made a visit to the Jagannath Puri Temple. The trio arrived at the temple amid tight security, and after the darshan, they returned to Bhubaneswar to prepare for the game.
Earlier, Chakravarthy was nominated for the ICC Men's Player of the Month award for January for his exceptional performance against England in the recent five-match T20I series, which India won by a 4-1 margin. Apart from Varun, West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican and Pakistan's Noman Ali are also in contention to win the ICC Men's Player of the Month award.
