IND vs SL 1st T20I: Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy makes his India debut – Having missed out on series against Australia and England, spinner Varun Chakravarthy has finally been handed an India cap and is now making his debut in T20 international cricket in the first T20I against Sri Lanka here at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Along with Chakravarthy, Prithvi Shaw is also making his T20I debut.
Hello & Good Evening from Colombo! ๐
Sri Lanka have won the toss & elected to bowl against #TeamIndia in the T20I series opener. #SLvIND
Follow the match ๐ https://t.co/GGk4rj2ror
Here’s India’s Playing XI ๐ pic.twitter.com/hUy5WRptfp
โ BCCI (@BCCI) July 25, 2021
Varun Chakravarthy’s wait for an India debut comes to an end on Sunday, as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star makes his debut for the national team. With captain Shikhar Dhawan and coach Rahul Dravid keen to give an opportunity to all members of the squad, Chakravarthy gets a look into the side, after impressing in the IPL 2021.
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ! ๐ฎ๐ณ
Make it big, @chakaravarthy29 ๐ช๐ป#SLvIND #Cricket pic.twitter.com/xKPaHgBoT9
โ KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) July 25, 2021
Varun Chakravarthy is one of the many gems the IPL has uncovered over the years, and the mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu is expected to make his India bow against Sri Lanka. It has been a long journey for the Kolkata Knight Riders star, who has had a long wait since making his mark in the IPL 2020. Chakravarthy starred and was KKR’s leading wicket-taker in the UAE, with 17 strikes in 13 matches at an economy rate of 6.84. That performance saw him picked for the T20I team to tour Australia, but it has been a roller coaster ride ever since.
IND vs SL T20: Varun Chakravarthy’s roller-coaster ride after IPL 2020
- Varun Chakravarthy was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2020 IPL season, and he picked up 17 wickets in 13 games, including a five-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals.
- He earned a call-up to the Indian team for the tour of Australia but was ruled out due to fitness and injury issues.
- He underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru but wasn’t deemed fit enough for selection for the T20Is against England
- He returned for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021, picking up seven wickets in as many games.
- The IPL 2021 was then suspended with Chakravarthy among the people to test positive for Covid-19.
- He was picked up for the tour of Sri Lanka but did not feature in a single ODIs.
IND vs SL T20 series: Should he feature, Chakravarthy will hope to make it count with there being stiff competition for places in the side. India’s spin attack is already well-stocked with Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Krunal Pandya, but none of them has the mystery element that Chakravarthy can bring to the table. The Kolkata Knight Riders star boasts of having seven variations and is keen on adding more skills to his game, and perhaps clinch a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.