Varun Chakravarthy, who excelled against English batters during the T20I series by claiming 14 wickets across five matches, including a remarkable five-wicket haul, has been included in the ODI squad for the forthcoming three-match series against England, as reported by HT.

His addition brings the total number of spinners in the Indian squad to five, joining Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. The national selectors have until the end of this series to finalize the team for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Given Chakravarthy's impressive wicket-taking ability and the difficulties faced by many English batters in reading his deliveries, the selectors will closely monitor his performance. While he is primarily known for his prowess in T20 cricket, he has also shown effectiveness in the Vijay Hazare ODI Trophy for Tamil Nadu. Although Chakravarthy has participated in 18 T20Is for India, he has yet to make his debut in ODIs.

On Tuesday, he engaged in fielding drills in Nagpur with the team, subsequently bowling to Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.

However, incorporating Chakravarthy into the Champions Trophy squad may present challenges, as India will want to maintain its batting strength in the playing eleven. Jadeja, Axar, and Washington are all competent lower-order batsmen, while Kuldeep Yadav possesses some batting ability, contrasting with Chakravarthy, who is primarily a lower-order batsman.

The final composition of the bowling lineup will also depend on the fitness of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Should Bumrah be unable to recover from his back issues in time, Harshit Rana, who is part of the ODI squad, could be a strong candidate to step in.

Read Also: Varun Chakaravarthy Joins India ODI Camp in Nagpur, Igniting Champions Trophy Speculation

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