IND vs ENG: Varun Chakravarthy Becomes India’s 2nd-Oldest ODI Debutant

India made two changes to their playing XI for the second ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy was handed his debut cap by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, while Shreyas Iyer retained his place despite Virat Kohli’s return to the lineup.

India decided to rest Kuldeep Yadav, who played in the first ODI after recovering from sports hernia surgery. In his place, Chakravarthy got his opportunity, rewarded for his recent performances in domestic cricket and the T20I series against England.

The Tamil Nadu spinner had taken 14 wickets in five matches during the T20Is, winning the Player of the Series award. His performances also made him a strong contender for India’s squad in the upcoming Champions Trophy. However, with only three days left to finalize the team, he will have limited time to make an impression.

At 33 years and 164 days, Chakravarthy became the second-oldest player to debut for India in ODIs. The record remains with Farookh Engineer, who made his debut at 36 years and 138 days against England in 1974.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer held onto his place in the XI despite Kohli’s return, with India opting for a mix of experience and balance in the batting lineup.

Playing XIs

England: Philip Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.