Varun Chakravarthy Makes ODI Debut vs England; Creates History In This Department

When Varun Chakravarthy got the last-minute inclusion in the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series, everyone expected him to play all three encounters.

Captain Rohit Sharma revealed that the only chance for the spinner to feature in the Champions Trophy will be by contributing to this series. The Tamil Nadu spinner had a remarkable time in the recent T20I series against the same opponent.

Varun Chakravarthy’s recent form

When Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won their third title of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024, Varun contributed with the ball for the entire season. It was superbly hard for any franchise to score in the middle overs against him and Sunil Narine.

Also Read: Younis Khan Regrets Over Saim Ayub’s Injury!! Analyzes Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Squad

Chakravarthy finished the season as the second leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps in 14 innings. His average of 19.14 and a strike rate of 14.28, alongside the economy rate of 8.04 was also incredible. That marked his return to the national side for the shortest format.

The mystery spinner finished the last year with 17 wickets in five T20Is at an average of below 13 a strike rate of just 9.88 and an economy rate of 7.54 with the best bowling figure of 5/24 in an inning.

Varun ended the recent five-match T20I series against England as the leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps. His average of 9.86 was so impressive, along with his economy rate of 7.71.

Varun Chakravarthy becomes second-oldest ODI debut for India

When India included Varun Chakravarthy in the ODI squad, despite carrying two left-arm spinners, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, the left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and off-spinner Washinton Sundar, it indicated that they wanted to take a different route.

It would be a hard decision for Rohit and the management to select the playing eleven. They went with Jadeja and Axar because of their batting ability, keeping Kuldeep Yadav. The Uttar Pradesh-born returned to international cricket after four months as he recovered from his heel injury. After he got the rest in Cuttack, Ravindra Jadeja delivered the ODI debut cap to Varun.

“(It) feels good because it has been a long journey from his T20I debut, and I got this breakthrough now. This comes after playing lots of domestic games like Vijay Hazare. So, I will cherish and value it.” Varun Chakravarthy expressed to the BCCI during the cap presentation.

The Karnataka-born becomes India’s second-oldest ODI debutant at the age of 33 years and 164 days after Farokh Engineer (36 years 138 days) in 1974.

Mystery spinner draws first blood

England was flying high at the start of the game with the 75-run opening stand in 10 overs. But Varun Chakravarthy came to draw the first blood.

He floated the fuller-length ball on middle and off stump. It turned away as Phil Salt cleared the front leg and tried to slog it across. It ended up miscuing it towards the mid-on. Jadeja accepted the dolly as India got the first wicket.

Also Read: Aakash Chopra Questions India’s Plans With KL Rahul!! Demands Rishabh Pant’s Inclusion

In his first eight overs, he ended up with 1/39 in eight overs at an economy rate of 4.90. Varun Chakravarthy finished the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 as the second leading wicket-taker with the help of 18 wickets in six innings at an average of 12.16, a strike rate of 16.72, and an economy rate of 4.36.

It will be interesting to see if he gets selected for the Champions Trophy squad of the Blue Brigade. Their first game is against Bangladesh at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.