Varun Chakravarthy can be a like-for-like replacement for India's experienced left-arm wrist-spinner.
Varun Chakravarthy has been the talk of the town since his stellar performance in the T20Is against England. He made his mark with 14 wickets in five games, including a five-wicket haul. He bagged two Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. He also received his maiden call-up for the ODIs and according to the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma, Chakravarthy is in contention for the Champions Trophy 2025.
The chances of Chakravarthy making it to the playing XI look fancy. But who can be dropped for the ICC mega event?
Irrespective of his experience, Kuldeep’s chances of playing CT 2025 look bleak. Chakravarthy can be a like-for-like replacement for the left-arm wrist-spinner. India doesn’t have many spinners from Kuldeep’s ilk but Chakravarthy is a mystery spinner for most overseas batters. In the last five ODIs, Kuldeep has picked up just five wickets. In the first ODI of the series against England, the chinaman returned with figures of 1-53 in 9.4 overs.
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One may think that including an all-rounder is better than a specialist bowler in the playing XI. But, this doesn’t hold true when Jadeja’s batting statistics are considered. Until the home series against England, Jadeja had not been a part of the ODIs since the World Cup 2023. In his last five matches, Jadeja has contributed well with the ball, with 10 wickets but his batting scores have been poor with just 50 runs. In the first ODI of the ongoing series, Jadeja scalped three wickets and scored 12 runs. India can take the risk of dropping Jadeja for a better prospect in Chakravarthy.
Washington Sundar’s statistics chalk a similar story as Jadeja. In his last five 50-over games, Sundar has seven dismissals under his belt. With the bat, he has produced 82 runs. In his ODI career since 2021, Sundar has made 315 runs at a strike rate of over 82. He has struck just one half-century in 22 games. He was not a part of the first ODI against England.
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