Varun Chakravarthy became only the third Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul in ICC Champions Trophy history when he returned with match-winning figures of 5/42 against New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai, duly earning the Man of the Match award in India’s 44-run victory while defending their total of 249.
That it was only his second ODI match, having made his ODI debut earlier in the home ODI series against England, has left everyone astounded.
Chakravarthy was on the bench against Bangladesh and Pakistan before replacing Harshit Rana in the XI against New Zealand. His five-for has now made a strong case for his selection in the semi-final against Australia, slated for Tuesday in Dubai.
Varun Chakravarthy just showed what he is capable of: Rohit Sharma
Will India play Chakravarthy in the semi-final against the Aussies, meaning India would then again play a four-spin attack, with Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya as the pacers, or will they drop him, despite his five-for, and recall Harshit in the XI?
India captain Rohit hailed Varun for his outstanding bowling display against the Kiwis and termed him a “very tempting” option to play in the semis as well against Australia.
Rohit said on the eve of the semi-final,
“He [Varun] just showed what he is capable of. So now it is up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right,” Rohit said. “He did everything that was asked for… he’s got something different about him. And when he gets it right, he knocks people over, and he takes five wickets. So it is very tempting.”
Of Australia’s potential semi-final top 7, only Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell have faced Chakravarthy in the past.
“We just want to go back and think about what the Australian batting lineup will look like. And try and see what kind of bowling options will go against them,” Rohit added.
The last time India and Australia met in a knockout match was in the ICC World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad, where Travis Head’s century helped Australia win the World Cup.
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