New Delhi: Wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has emerged as an outside chance to enter India’s squads for ODIs against England and Champions Trophy, said sources to IANS.
India will be back to international action via five T20Is and three ODIs against England, starting on January 22 in Kolkata, before flying to Dubai for its Champions Trophy campaign, with Pakistan hosting other half of the tournament.
The senior men’s selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, is scheduled to have a meeting on Saturday to decide on the squads for the previously mentioned assignments, especially with deadline to announce Champions Trophy provisional squad falling on Sunday.
Sources have told IANS that Chakaravarthy’s prospect of being an outside chance for selection in ODI games for India, apart from being a certainty in the T20I team, comes at a time when he’s picked 18 wickets to be the leading wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, including consecutive five-wicket hauls on the trot.
Chakaravarthy, who was stellar for India in its T20I series wins against Bangladesh and South Africa, picked 5/52 in the pre quarterfinal match of Vijay Hazare Trophy for Tamil Nadu, though it didn’t lead them to a win over Rajasthan at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.
But with Kuldeep Yadav yet to return back to competitive action as his rehab from hernia surgery and gradual return to bowling still happening at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Varun has an outside chance to be into the India ODI set-up for the England series and Champions Trophy, with the selectors set to deliberate over make-up of the spin department.
Sources have also said to IANS that KL Rahul will be rested from three ODIs against England, with the decision coming to have him fresh for the Champions Trophy. Rahul played five Tests in Australia, where he impressed with his crucial opening knocks in Perth and Brisbane.
Rahul being rested also means that India will be deciding for a back-up to him in the home ODIs against England to be played in Nagpur, Cuttack and Ahmedabad from February 6-12. In ODIs against Sri Lanka last year, which India lost 2-0, Rahul and Rishabh Pant were the keeper-batters.
Sources also said that Washington Sundar is also certain to make the cut for both squads, while all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who impressed with 114 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, is in frame to play the five-match T20I series against England. India have won the Champions Trophy twice, and stand alongside Australia as most successful sides of the eight-team competition.
(IANS)
