10/10 after Varun Chakravarthy increase

India cricket team boasts of a strong spin unit heading into ICC Champions Trophy. Featuring Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarty and Washington Sundar, the department is a force to be reckoned with. Going by head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma’s tactics, it looks like India is going to make use of the spinners in the middle overs to not just strangle the opposition & cut the flow of runs but to also take wickets.

In fact, one can argue that the strong spin department is a result of the depleted pace attack. In the absence of experienced pacers like Bumrah & Siraj, and issues over Shami’s form, the Men in Blue will indeed have to heavily rely on spin to get wickets. This was evident in the IND vs ENG ODI series as well, where spinners managed to get 13 wickets across 3 matches. While there is a concern over an inexperienced pace attack going into the Champions Trophy, there is no such issue when it comes to spin.

Ravindra Jadeja – 8/10

Being the most experienced of the lot, Jadeja will spearhead the spin department in Dubai. He recently bagged his 600th international wicket and looked in fine form in the ODIs vs ENG. Making his return to the format for the first time after ODI World Cup in 2023, the southpaw hardly looked out of touch. He finished the series with 6 wickets to his name, conceding just 61 runs, making him the most economical spinner for India.

Kuldeep Yadav – 5/10

Kuldeep’s form is a worry for India ahead of the Champions Trophy. He made his comeback to international cricket in the IND vs ENG series after being on the sidelines for more than three months due to a groin injury. Yadav’s comeback wasn’t impressive. With hardily any variations in the two matches that he played, Kuldeep was also very expensive. He only managed to get 2 wickets while leaking 91 runs in the two ODIs. As Manjrekar pointed out, he was bowling only quickly and flatly instead of varying his pace to trick the batters.

Latest news

Axar Patel – 7/10

Axar will compliment Jadeja perfectly as the southpaw duo will aim to take maximum number of wickets in Champions Trophy. Although he excelled more with the bat against England, he did not fail to chip in with the ball. In three ODIs, Axar bagged three wickets while also staying economical. His experience in the 50-over format will be the perfect boost that India need, given that he is India’s second best spin all-rounder after Jadeja.

Varun Chakravarthy – 9/10

After impressing in the T20I series, Varun was fast-tracked to ODIs as well. He then made a last-minute entry into India’s Champions Trophy squad, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal. The mystery spinner already has the experience of playing in UAE, having featured in the T20 World Cup in 2022. The Tamil Nadu spinner will only bolster India’s spin unit, with the team relying on the spinner to take the opposition by surprise.

Washington Sundar – 5/10

Washington played just one ODI against England where he managed to get one wicket while conceding 43 runs. He isn’t expected to play all the matches in the Champions Trophy either. By the looks of it, India will look to use him as a back-up option. Surely, the team would want to pick Jadeja and Axar ahead of Sundar. Either Chakravarthy or Kuldeep will be the specialist spinner. This leaves very little room for Washi, unless India would want to increase their batting depth further.