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In-form mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been included in the Indian ODI squad after his heroics in the just-concluded T20I series against England as the team management wants the KKR mystery spinner to "keep up the momentum". There is a fair chance that Chakravarthy might just replace one of the four specialist spinners in the Champions Trophy squad. It could be one among Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar, who may be axed to accommodate Chakravarthy before the final squad is announced. A lot will depend on how he fares in the ODIs.
Chakravarthy, who got 14 wickets in five T20Is against England and was adjudged the 'Player of The Series', hasn't been picked for the three ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy later this month.
Chakravarthy was seen training and bowling in the nets on Tuesday.
"Yes, Varun Chakravarthy is part of the squad," India vice-captain Shubman Gill confirmed in a media interaction after the team's training.
It is understood that head coach Gautam Gambhir wants Chakravarthy to remain in rhythm and bowl to the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant.
With the deadline for squad changes for the Champions Trophy set for February 12, he remains a strong candidate for selection. However, it is unlikely that he will be added to the CT squad without playing a single ODI.
India have got three finger spinners - two left-armers (Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel) and one right-arm off-spinner in Washington Sundar. Kuldeep Yadav, who is returning to the Indian team after undergoing a sports hernia surgery in October 2024, is the lone wrist spinner in the squad.
"As of now, the team management wanted Varun to bowl in ODI squad nets ahead of England series. Varun doesn't play red-ball cricket," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"With domestic white ball season already concluded, he doesn't have any assignments till start of IPL end March. He is in good rhythm and they want him to continue that," he added.
When asked if there is a possibility of him being selected for the ODI series and subsequent Champions Trophy based on current form, the source replied: "The selectors have already picked four spinners and you only have three ODI games.
"But if team management wants Varun, it will certainly have to speak to the chairman of selection committee. Whether they intend to or not, is still not known."
The Men in Blue don't have a second wrist spinner and Chakravarthy's strong form could work in his favour. When he last played on the flatter tracks in Dubai during the 2021 T20 World Cup, Chakravarthy struggled to make an impact.
However, he has significantly improved since then, focusing more on over-spin to refine his variations.
The English team has not read him well and in Champions Trophy, one of the opposition is Bangladesh, which was bamboozled by him in October during the T20I series. He could also be an unknown entity for most of the New Zealand and Pakistan teams.
Additionally, he has performed consistently on batting-friendly surfaces in the recent T20I series against England, finishing as the leading wicket-taker at an impressive average of 9.85. India are set to play all their league matches in Dubai.
Chakravarthy picked up 18 wickets for Tamil Nadu in the National One Day Championship.