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The deadline for changes in the Champions Trophy 2025 squads concluded on February 11 and India opted to induct Varun Chakravarthy in their 15-member squad instead of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Varun’s selection caused debates on social media but Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has backed the team management’s choice. With Chakravarthy’s addition, India will now go to Dubai with five spinners. With a experience of 18 T20Is and just one ODI, Chakravarthy will be a player to watch out for in the upcoming tournament. The leg-break bowler looked in amazing touch in the five-match T20I series played against England, becoming the Player of the Series.
In the second ODI played in Cuttack, Chakravarthy racked up 1/54 figures in 10 overs. Explaining Chakaravarthy’s selection, Gautam Gambhir said the spinner is the best wicket-taking option for the side in middle-overs and he can also pose a threat to the opponents as a lot of teams haven’t seen him. “The only reason was because we wanted another wicket-taking option in the middle and we know that what Varun Chakravarthy brings to the table. We know that Varun can be a massive threat and with a lot of teams who haven’t played him and he could be a X-factor as well. I’m not going to say that he’s going to start and all that stuff but it’s always good to have a strong bowling line-up," Gambhir was quoted as saying by News18.
We could pick only 15: Gambhir Gambhir on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exclusion from Champions Trophy squad
Gautam Gambhir also talked about opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who couldn’t make it to the 15-member side. Notably, Jaiswal was initially included in India's lineup for Champions Trophy but was later ruled out. "Because we know that if he can actually get those wickets in the middle, it’s always going to be an advantage and that was one of the reasons otherwise we know that Yashasvi has got a fabulous future ahead, it’s just that we could only pick 15," Gambhir said
India saw a stable opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill in the England ODI series. Rohit notched up a scintillating ton in the second ODI played in Cuttack while Gill showed his mettle in the first and third ODI played in Nagpur and Ahmedabad respectively.
