'He could be a X-factor'- India head coach Gautam Gambhir on selecting Varun Chakravarthy ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal

The Indian team has announced the playing 15 of the Champions Trophy and some interesting decisions have been taken by the selectors and management ahead of the tournament which has surprised the fans and the experts ahead of the ICC event which is set to take place on February 19. 

One of the most shocking decisions was to exclude India star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and bring in mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy into the squad of 15 players. Some ex-cricketers and pundits have given mixed responses towards this decision however, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has given the reasons behind picking the 2024 IPL winner saying that the 33-year-old spinner is an X-factor in the team. 

“The only reason was because we wanted another wicket-taking option in the middle and we know that what Varun Chakravarthy brings to the table. We know that Varun can be a massive threat and with a lot of teams who haven’t played him and he could be an X-factor as well. I’m not going to say that he’s going to start and all that stuff but it’s always good to have a strong bowling line-up,” said Gambhir as quoted by Hindustan Times. 

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“We know that if he can actually get those wickets in the middle, it’s always going to be an advantage and that was one of the reasons otherwise we know that Yashasvi has got a fabulous future ahead, it’s just that we could only pick 15,” Gambhir added. 

Speaking of the two players they both made their ODI debut in the India vs England series where Jaiswal played the first ODI in Nagpur, Chakravarthy played the second ODI in Cuttack ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. The third ODI saw Chakravarthy out of the playing XI due to a niggle in his calf which led to Kuldeep making his way into the eleven once again.