It looks like emerging spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s will have to hold on tight for a little longer before he makes his India debut. 29-year-old Chakravarthy propelled exceptionally well for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the recently conducted Indian Premier League season. He earned his maiden Indian call-up for the Australian series, credits to his fine form in the Indian cash-rich league. However, Varun picked a shoulder injury and was ruled out of the ‘Down Under’ series.
IND vs ENG: Virat Kohli’s firm views regarding players’ fitness
And now, the KKR spinner has failed to pass the yo-yo test ahead of the T20I series against England. Varun Chakravarthy’s won’t be featuring in India’s playing XI in the five-match series and will surely have to work on his fitness if he ever wishes to play for his country. Skipper Virat Kohli, in a recent presser, made it clear that each and every Indian player will have to match the level of fitness the team has set for themselves in recent years.
33-year-old Virat Kohli, who is known for his fitness, stressed the point that every player will have operate at a very high level if they want to play for team India. “Look individuals need to understand the systems that have been created for the Indian cricket team. We should operate at very high levels of fitness and skills and that’s why this (India team) is top of the ladder when playing cricket, in our country. We would expect players to abide by what’s required to be a part of Team India. There shouldn’t be space for any compromise, in that regard,” Kohli said in the press conference ahead of the T20I series which starts on Friday.
“We have played with a certain kind of pattern in the past. We did not have a big tournament to work towards in the past. If you look at the squad, the additions we have made we have tried to address a few things we needed in specific,” Kohli said while making a point of the inclusion of players like Yadav and Kishan.