Varun Chakravarthy for Champions Trophy? Dinesh Karthik wonders if India missed a trick

India vs England, 1st T20I: Varun Chakravarthy continued his golden form with the ball. After finishing the VIjay Hazare Trophy with 18 wickets, the Tamil Nadu spinner took three wickets in India's 7-wicket win in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22.

In Short

• Varun Chakravarthy picked 3 wickets against England in Kolkata
• The mystery spinner has taken 20 wickets in 8 matches since his 2024 return
• Varun was not picked in India's 15-man squad for Champions Trophy

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik questioned whether India missed a trick by not selecting Varun Chakravarthy in their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy. Karthik's remarks came after Varun Chakravarthy extended his impressive run in T20I cricket, taking 3 wickets in the first match of a five-game series against England in Kolkata on Wednesday, 22 January.

India selected four spinners in their Champions Trophy squad, with Kuldeep Yadav returning to the fold after missing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to injury. Alongside Kuldeep, India included three finger spinners — Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar.

India vs England, 1st T20I Highlights

Dinesh Karthik had previously urged the selectors to consider Varun Chakravarthy before finalising the Champions Trophy squad. Karthik emphasised that leaving out Varun would be a grave mistake, citing his stellar performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India's premier domestic 50-over tournament.

There had been speculation that the selectors were contemplating Varun’s inclusion for the eight-team tournament, which begins on 19 February. However, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee opted for experience, choosing three orthodox finger spinners to complement Kuldeep.

Varun Chakravarthy knocked on the selectors' doors with consistent performances for Tamil Nadu in the VIjay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 season. He picked up 18 wickets in 6 matches.

The senior campaigner has revived his T20I career with backing from the new leadership group of coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav. After playing six T20Is in 2021, Varun spent two years on the sidelines.

He broke into the national team after a consistent run in IPL 2024 for Kolkata Knight Riders when Gambhir was their mentor. Varun played a key role in KKR's run to their third title.

Ever since returning to the T20I fold, Varun has been one of India's leading wicket-takers. He took 17 wickets in seven matches, including a five-wicket haul in 2024. He has begun the new season with three wickets in the series opener in Kolkata.

Varun ran through the middle order, picking the wickets of Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone in the 8th over as England went from 65 for 2 to 65 for 4. Varun returned for a spell later in the innings and got the big wicket of Jos Buttler, who waged a lone battle, hitting 68 off 44. Varun's heroics helped India restrict England to 132 in 20 overs.