Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sanjay Bangar has revealed his choice of whether India should have selected Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of Varun Chakaravarthy for the ODI series against England, scheduled to start on February 6.

Notably, Varun Chakaravarthy, who ended the T20I series against England with 14 wickets and a player of the series award, was selected for the ODI series against England. His performance in the three-match series will be monitored and his selection for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 depends on it.

“T20 is a format which suits Varun and the question that comes to our mind is what is the future for Chahal, who has got a very good record even in the 50-over format. So, if at all the team wanted to have another wrist spinner, I am sure that the selectors would have discussed Chahal’s name,” Sanjay Bangar told Star Sports while responding to India Today’s query.

“But it’s hard to comment from outside what would be the preference of the team, what they are thinking of and what the management prefers. So, ultimately, it all boils down to that,” he added.

“I believe Chahal is still good enough” - Sanjay Bangar

Sanjay Bangar also asserted that Yuzvendra Chahal still has a lot to offer for Team India. Since his debut in this format in 2016, Chahal went on to pick 121 wickets in 72 ODIs. His last 50-over game came against New Zealand in January 2023.

“I believe that Chahal is still good enough as, in the longer format, you have to have bowlers with guile and who can beat the batters in the air, and not necessarily off the surface. So, it would have been a very close call between Chahal and Varun, but the team management and the selectors thought that Varun could be the man in form, and he could do the job for the team as well,” Bangar concluded.

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