Varun Chakravarthy becomes second-oldest ODI debutant for India: Key stats
What's the story
After a stellar T20I series, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has earned his coveted ODI cap. The 2nd ODI between India and England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack marked his debut. Chakravarthy entered India's ODI setup after being adjudged the Player of the Series (T20Is). He has become the second-oldest debutant for India in the format. Here are the key stats.
Chakravarthy
How Chakravarthy was added to ODI squad
As mentioned, Chakravarthy joined India's ODI squad after a successful T20I series against England. The star spinner wasn't part of the original squad. His inclusion came after his brilliant performance against England in the recent five-T20I series, where he scalped 14 wickets and was named the Player of the Series. The mystery spinner has replaced Kuldeep Yadav for the Cuttack ODI.
Record
Chakravarthy enters record books
As per Cricbuzz, Chakravarthy has become the second-oldest debutant for India in ODI cricket, at 33 years and 164 days. He is only behind Farookh Engineer (36y 138d), who made his debut in 1974 against England in Leeds. This means Chakravarthy is the oldest debutant for India outside of their inaugural match in the ODI format in 1974.
Twitter Post
Chakaravarthy receives his ODI cap from Ravindra Jadeja
Debut 🧢 ✅
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 9, 2025
Varun Chakaravarthy will make his first appearance for #TeamIndia in an ODI ✨
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/NReW1eEQtF#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @chakaravarthy29 pic.twitter.com/TRah0L7gh9
Stats
Best bowling average in List A cricket
Before the Cuttack ODI, Chakravarthy featured in 23 List A games and took 59 wickets. He made his List A debut in 2018 for Tamil Nadu against Gujarat in Chennai. Chakravarthy's List A average of 14.13 is the best among bowlers with 50-plus wickets, as per Cricbuzz. The spinner's phenomenal show has reignited the debate over his inclusion in the impending ICC Champions Trophy.