Aakash Chopra, an ex-India opener, has advised the Indian team management not to bench Kuldeep Yadav in favor of Varun Chakravarthy during the Champions Trophy in 2025. Varun replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal in India's tournament team, which was finalized on Tuesday, February 11.
Varun's acquisition meant that India would now have five spinners for the Champions Trophy, as they will play all of their matches in Dubai. The Tamil Nadu spinner replaced Kuldeep in the second ODI in Cuttack.
Chopra took to X after the announcement, saying that the decision to play with 5 spinners would have worked in a venue like Sharjah, but he questioned if it was appropriate in Dubai.
Chopra also urged India to play Varun and Kuldeep together if necessary. The former cricketer ended his tweet by saying Kuldeep has to be India's premier spinner at the event.
"India has picked 5 spinners for the Champions Trophy. FIVE. Sharjah would be an ideal venue for this squad. Spin To Win. Dubai?? Not so sure. That surface hasn’t helped spinners as much...ever. Also, I really hope that Kuldeep isn’t benched for Varun. Play both if you must...but Kuldeep has to be India’s premier spinner," said Chopra on X.
Furthermore, Chopra also stated that he had thought that the injury to Bumrah might force the BCCI selectors to include Mohammed Siraj in the India squad for Champions Trophy 2025. He also pointed out Yashasvi Jaiswal being left out of the India XI for Shreyas Iyer and now out of the Champions Trophy squad altogether.
“I thought Bumrah’s absence will force selectors to pick Siraj. Have 4 pacers in the squad. It’s also interesting to note how quickly the plan to play Yashasvi in the XI ahead of Iyer is abandoned…to the extent that Yashasvi isn’t even a part of the CT squad,” he stated.
Meanwhile, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has rued that Jasprit Bumrah will miss the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, denting India’s chances to win the tournament. He also pointed out that Men in Blue are dependent on spinners a lot in Dubai but feels the pacers will play a huge role as well.
“Not having Jasprit Bumrah for the Champions Trophy significantly weakens India’s bowling attack. The team is depending heavily on the spinners in Dubai, but I believe the pacers will play a crucial role,” Pathan posted on X.
