India are ready to return to the ODI format, as they are set for the home ODI series against England in preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. According to media reports, the hosts are set to add the in-form spinner Varun Chakravarthy to the ODI squad for the home series. 

The English white-ball team is reshaping with the Bazball strategy, which completely backfired on them in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against the hosts India, which the hosts won by 4-1. The English batters had no solid answers against the Indian spinners, as the home spinners totally dominated against the dangerous English batters.

Varun Chakravarthy is training with ODI squad

India and England are set for the three-match ODI series, which Nagpur, Cuttack, and Ahmedabad will host on February 6, 9, and 12, respectively. For the ODI series, Varun Chakravarthy has reportedly been added to the Indian squad, which is an award for Varun for his recent strong performances with the ball in hand. He is training with the Indian ODI squad in Nagpur.

Varun Chakravarthy won the Player of the Series award in the recent T20I series

After recording 12 wickets in the four-match T20I series in South Africa last November, Varun Chakravarthy broke his own record of most wickets by an Indian bowler in the bilateral T20I series history after picking up 14 wickets in the five-match T20I series against England at home. Without any doubt, Chakravarthy won the Player of the Series award in the recently concluded home T20I series for performing consistently in the series, where the leggie picked up at least two wickets in every match.

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Varun Chakravarthy can be added to the Champions Trophy squad

Varun Chakravarthy wasn’t in the squad for the upcoming home ODI series against England, which also completely follows India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (the only exception is Harshit Rana, who is replacing Jasprit Bumrah for the first two matches of the home ODI series against England), which will be played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, due to his strong performances in the T20I format, Varun has reportedly been added to the ODI squad for the home ODI series against England. He can be even added to the Indian squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.

Varun Chakravarthy is in great form in one-day format

The 33-year-old Varun hasn’t made his ODI debut yet. In 23 List A matches, the leg-spinner has taken 59 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls, which is really excellent. His bowling average and strike rate in the List A format are 14.13 and 19.80, respectively. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, the domestic List A tournament, Varun was the joint-second leading wicket-taker with 18 wickets in six games, including two fifers. 

If Varun makes his ODI debut in the home series against England, he will be the second oldest Indian cricketer to make an ODI debut.