As the 2025 Champions Trophy approaches, players hoping to make the cut for the 15-player squad will surely be motivated to prove themselves. With the Vijay Hazare Trophy entering its knockout phase, one of them gave their best after overcoming a drubbing early on.
In the pre-quarterfinal match between Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu in Vadodara, Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakravarthy was bowled in his first four overs and conceded 38 runs. Opener Abhijeet Tomar and Rajasthan captain Mahipal Lomror chased down all Tamil Nadu bowlers as they put on 160 for the second wicket, taking the score to 184/1 in the 31st over.
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Their hopes of a big total were dashed when Varun bowled Lomror and then caused a collapse. The wrist spinner claimed five wickets in the space of just 14 runs in his next five overs as Rajasthan fell to 267 all out in 47.3 overs.
Varun, who last played in a T20I during India’s tour of South Africa in November, has been excellent for Tamil Nadu. This is his second five-wicket haul in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after winning 5-9 against Mizoram in Tamil Nadu’s penultimate group game.
With the last fifty, Varun has taken his tournament tally to 18 wickets in six matches.
Is Varun Chakravarthy called up for the 2025 Champions Trophy in sight?
He is yet to make his ODI debut for India and has so far played 13 T20Is and claimed 19 wickets.
The challenge for India, however, is to balance its pivot options. Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are available as spin bowling all-rounders. Kuldeep Yadav is expected to regain fitness on January 20 and should be available for the Champions Trophy.
Including Varun Chakravarthy as the fourth spinner might not be feasible unless they decide to pick just one among Jadeja, Axar and Sundar. The other case for him is if Kuldeep has not regained full fitness by then or if the selectors feel that a major ODI tournament is too soon for the wrist-spinner after his injury.
If this comes up, Varun not only has a chance to make it to the 15th but also to the final XI as a specialist spinner in place of Kuldeep. The chances of Kuldeep and Varun playing together are slim considering India’s queue would get longer.
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Tamil Nadu falls short of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025 quarter-final spot
Tamil Nadu finished second in Group D after winning four games and losing one and one match was abandoned. Meanwhile, Rajasthan were runners-up in Group B behind Maharashtra after winning five games and losing two. Despite the failure in the middle order, they will take solace in the performances of Tomar, who scored 111, and Lomror, who scored 60 off 49 balls. Wicket-keeper batsman Kartik Sharma also added a vital 35 off 28 balls.
Rajasthan took top-level confidence when a collective bowling effort survived N Jagadeesan’s opening attack (65 off 52 balls) and restricted Tamil Nadu to 248 to win by 19 runs. Varun managed to score 18 runs in the end but it was too late for Tamil Nadu.
Rajasthan will now face Vidarbha in the quarterfinals in Vadodara on Sunday.
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