Gautam Gambhir was KKR’s mentor in 2024© BCCI/Sportzpics
In a rather surprising development, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakravarthy seems to be high up in the race for a spot in Team India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. With the deadline to announce the provisional squad on January 12, reports have suggested that Chakravarthy is one of the leading candidates for the spin-bowling spots in the team. In fact, he is seemingly ahead of a veteran like Ravindra Jadeja and a few other spin bowling stars in the selection race.
Kuldeep Yadav is also one of the strong candidates for the Champions Trophy squad but his fitness has been an issue for a while. If he is to get the selectors’ nod for the Champions Trophy, he would need to first prove his fitness for England ODIs, which could be tricky. Hence, Chakravarthy has emerged as one of the leading candidates to lead India’s spin-bowling attack in Dubai for the Champions Trophy, as per Indian Express.
Varun famously was picked for India’s T20 World Cup squad in 2021, though the stunt didn’t go as well for him. He has made a return to the team’s T20 side but is yet to make his debut in the 50-over format for the international stage.
Chakravarthy played a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumph at the IPL 2024 campaign, under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, the current India head coach. Gambhir could have a key role in Chakravarthy’s selection for the Champions Trophy, though there are other players in the fray too.
Ravi Bishnoi is another player who reportedly has the selectors’ interest, while left-arm spinners Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are also in line. However, a report in Times of India has claimed that the selectors are looking to move away from Jadeja in the ODI format, though it isn’t yet certain whether it would happen before the Champions Trophy or after.
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