Just hours after being named to India's Champions Trophy squad, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been sidelined with a calf injury.
Although India are playing a strong brand of 50-overs' cricket of late, they have some selection riddles to solve before they face Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy.
Shami's run in the tournament concluded with nice scalps in five matches, averaging 25.88.
The 2025 Champions Trophy promises to be a battleground for the world's top cricketers, with several players ready to leave their mark on the tournament.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against New Zealand in Sunday's final?
India's cricket team has embarked on a journey to Dubai for the upcoming Champions Trophy, aiming to secure another global trophy after their T20 World Cup triumph last June.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy final played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a back injury.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner acknowledged the challenge posed by India's understanding of the conditions in the Champions Trophy final, but expressed confidence in his team's ability to adapt. Santner believes the experience of playing against India in a league match will help, and is hoping his batters will be better prepared to face mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy this time around.
'The stakes are too high and it would have been a complete embarrassment had Bumrah broken down in a match.'
It is understood that Yashasvi Jaiswal has a bright chance of making it to the ODI squad. His inclusion would ensure a left-handed batter in the top four.
Chakravarthy's caption summed it up perfectly, ' Akkha duniya ek taraf, aur mere India ek taraf. Jai Hind.
India won't give into the temptation of tinkering with the Playing XI, feels opening batter KL Rahul.
Varun Chakravarthy, who has quickly become one of India's most consistent bowlers in T20Is, further cemented his reputation with a brilliant 3-23 in the first T20I in Kolkata.
Virat Kohli top-scored with a fluent 84 as India overpowered Australia by five wickets to storm into the ICC Champions Trophy final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Except in the IPL, the Australians have not had a good look at Varun Chakravarthy's bowling and that could spell trouble for Steve Smith and Co.
Having recently made his international comeback against England in both T20Is and ODIs, the stretchable knee caps did not go unnoticed as Mohammed Shami first tried to get a feel of the conditions by bowling a few deliveries with a short run-up.
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
Varun Chakravarthy had a second coming in international cricket with 17 wickets in his last seven T20Is and 12 of them in South Africa in batting-friendly conditions.
'...I had to be disciplined, just stick to the basics'
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs to win their third T20 World Cup title. The victory was marked by enthusiastic celebrations, consolatory gestures towards the New Zealand team, and the presence of cricket legends.
Mystery spinner bowls in nets as India prep for three-match ODI series vs England.
Ravichandran Ashwin's tactical foresight proved spot on as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy dismissed the dangerous Travis Head early in India's Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead has acknowledged the threat posed by India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in the upcoming Champions Trophy final.
Varun Chakravarthy, a key player for both the Indian team and the Kolkata Knight Riders, emphasizes the importance of consistency and reveals he is working on new variations to his spin bowling.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy justified his selection with a five-wicket haul and bowled India to a 44-run victory against New Zealand.
India face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad as Suryakumar Yadav's side aim to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
'People said, 'Don't come to India. If you try, you won't be able to'.'
Varun Chakravarthy is the second oldest debutant for India in One-Day Internationals after Farokh Engineer.
India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav believes spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been a different player since his comeback to international cricket last year.
His last stint with the Indian team in the UAE, during the 2021 T20 World Cup, was one to forget, but four years later, he has redeemed himself to become an invaluable asset for the Indian cricket team.
Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja were among the first ones to reach India.
A look back at the thrilling encounters between India and New Zealand in ICC tournament knockout stages, highlighting key moments and memorable performances.
India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy believes the IPL presents a different challenge, stating that it's a "different beast".
A preview of the 2026 IPL season, highlighting the challenges faced by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the redemption quests of legacy teams, the relevance of veteran players, and the emergence of future stars.
India's spinners were the key architects of the bowling performance. Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) were the standout performers, while Jadeja (1/30) and Axar Patel (0/29 in 8 overs) kept the pressure on with their economical spells.
'This is going to be my 14th year in the IPL. I've played with them outside of IPL as well. It's like a family-based team for me. Every time I play with the Knight Riders logo, it feels like this is where I belong.'
'Certain formats require a certain skill set and whenever we look at these kinds of players, if the talent is there, then you don't want to shy away from blooding them.'
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