Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner, was added to the India ODI side against England at the last minute. Varun was expected to be given a chance in the three-match ODI series following his outstanding performance in the T20I leg of the series. Former cricketer Zaheer Khan said Varun's debut should be postponed further because he warmed the bench in the opening game.
Before the second ODI match against England, Zaheer stated on Cricbuzz that India might not alter their bowling lineup till they had an insurmountable advantage in the series. Before the Champions Trophy, India will play England in a three-match series. On Sunday, February 9, the team will play its second match in Cuttack after winning the first ODI in Nagpur.
Zaheer on potential changes
In his pre-match analysis, Zaheer stated that he believes there will only be one lineup change: Virat Kohli will replace either Shreyas Iyer or Yashasvi Jaiswal.
"Keeping the next game in mind, if Virat is fit and available, he will come into the playing XI. That's the only change that I am seeing. I think they would want to finish the series and then look at making other changes. Shami playing is very important because he came back from injury, so game time is very important for him. I think Shami will play all three games. Harshit had a good debut, so I do not see that change either," Zaheer Khan said on Cricbuzz.
After the opening match, India batter Shreyas Iyer disclosed that he was not initially included in the first ODI's line-up. Shreyas disclosed that he took Kohli's place at No. 4 following the batter's knee injury. Virat will play in the second ODI in Cuttack, according to vice-captain Shubman Gill. This means that either Shreyas or opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will need to leave the starting XI.
If India choose to bench Jaiswal, Virat Kohli or Shreyas Iyer would bat at number three, while Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma will open the innings. When asked who players from the two teams to look out for in the high-scoring Cuttack Stadium, Zaheer mentioned Phil Salt and Shubman Gill.