India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has given a headache to skipper Rohit Sharma after his exceptional performance against New Zealand in his ICC Champions Trophy 2025 debut clash. He picked up a five-wicket haul against New Zealand that helped the Men in Blue to register a 44-run win in their third group stage match at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.
Despite dominating bowling against New Zealand, the spinner's spot in India's playing XI for the semifinal clash against Australia is not yet confirmed. India captain Rohit was not sure whether he could feature against Australia. While addressing media before the semifinal clash, Rohit said that they will choose their bowlers based on Australia's batting lineup.
"No, look, He just showed what he's capable of. Now it is up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right. Obviously, look, he got a game. He did everything that was asked for. And I said it at the post-match as well that he's got something different about him. And when he gets it right, he knocks people over and he takes five-five wickets. It is very tempting to think about what to do, which is a good headache to have. We'll just try and assess. We just want to go back and think about what the Australian batting lineup will look like and how we can try and see what kind of bowling options will work against them" said Rohit Sharma during pre match conference.
Chakaravarthy made his ODI debut after his impressive performance in T20Is against England. The Karnataka-based spinner has played two ODIs (including last clash against New Zealand) and picked up six wickets.
Team India have won all their group stage matches of the Champions Trophy to top the group and now the Men in Blue will face Australia for the semifinal clash, which will take place at the same venue on March 4
