India went with Varun Chakravarthy for their fixture against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025. India captain Rohit Sharma now has a good headache ahead of him for making a selection call for their semifinal against Australia.
India captain Rohit Sharma has a ‘good headache’ for selection after Varun Chakravarthy’s match-winning performance on his Champions Trophy debut against New Zealand on Sunday, March 2. The Indian team outclassed the Kiwi side on the back of a masterful bowling performance by Chakravarthy, who picked up five wickets in the game.
Chakravarthy made his place in the Indian team for the first time in the tournament as he came in for Harshit Rana as the fourth spin option for the Men in Blue. The Indian team will now have a selection call to make for their semifinal against Australia, and captain Rohit knows it.
The Indian skipper praised Chakravarthy after the match against the Kiwis and highlighted the ‘good headache’ that he now has. “He has got something different about him, so I wanted to try and see what he had to offer.
We got to think a little about what to do for the next game, it’s a good headache. If he gets it right, it’s very difficult to read him,” Rohit said of Chakaravarthy at the presentation ceremony.
India will now meet Australia for the ninth time in ICC knockouts and will have redemption from the ODI World Cup 2023 final on their mind. “It will be a good game. Australia has a rich history of playing well in ICC tournaments, but is is about us and what we want to do on that particular day. It will be a great contest, looking forward to that. Hopefully we can stitch one towards us,” Rohit added.
Rohit stated the importance of keeping the momentum in a sharp tournament like the Champions Trophy. “Critical to possibly win every game and doing everything right in a short tournament. Important to correct mistakes quickly, and that’s where we know if your team is going up or going down.
“Important to finish on a high. We played a perfect game. It was important at that stage (after being 30/3) to build a partnership, and I thought we got to a good total,” Rohit said after the match.
