KKR CEO Venky Mysore opens up on Varun Chakravarthy's exclusion from T20I side

The 29-year-old spinner Varun Chakravarthy can be termed as an unlucky cricketer as despite earning his maiden call for the Indian T20 team twice, the cricketer has failed to make it to the Indian squad. Varun was initially called for the three-match T20 series against Australia in late 2020 after a stunning performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL), however, an injury ruled him out of the Australia tour.

Though the spinner hasn’t featured in a game since November 2020, he was named in the Indian squad for the five-match T20 series against England, starting from March 12 at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. However, it is learned that the cricketer has been ruled out after he failed to pass the fitness test. Varun was twice given a chance to perform the test but he failed to qualify and this saw him losing his spot in the team again.

The yo-yo test states that a player has to either score 17.1 in the yo-yo test or run 2 kilometers in 8.30 minutes – 8.15 minutes for bowlers to be eligible for selection. It is important for the players to clear the fitness Test as the Indian team has set some standards regarding the fitness of the Indian players.

Varun Chakravarthy has more skills than most we have seen: Mysore

The CEO of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Venky Mysore seemed upset with the exclusion of the KKR spinner from the Indian team saying that the current fitness standards would have spoiled the career of many legends of yesteryears.

“@bhogleharsha he has more skills than most we have seen but maybe a few seconds slower in a sprint…I wonder how many greats of yesteryears, cricket would have lost, based on the current “standards”!” he wrote on Twitter.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has also opined on the issue stating “Look individuals need to understand the systems that have been created for the Indian cricket team. We should operate at very high levels of fitness and skills and that’s why this (India team) is top of the ladder when playing cricket, in our country. We would expect players to abide by what’s required to be a part of Team India. There shouldn’t be space for any compromise, in that regard.”