Varun Chakravarthy fails fitness test again

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy has failed his fitness test while left-arm fast bowler T. Natarajan is at the NCA in Bengaluru and is yet to join the squad in Ahmedabad due to a shoulder niggle.

“Varun Chakravarthy was selected because he recovered from his shoulder injury that ruled him out of the Australia series. He did his rehab at the NCA and started throwing normally,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“However, he has failed to clear the YoYo test mark stipulated for a 2km run at least twice,” the source added.

The questions have raised on Chakravarthy’s selection as he hasn’t played competitive cricket since October.

“We can understand he was doing his rehab during Mushtaq Ali (T20 Championship). But then again, he didn’t play a single Vijay Hazare Trophy game. How do you assess his match fitness based on games that he played five months back? I guess Varun Chakravarthy is a lesson for selectors,” said the source.

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar might join the team. Chahar has been in the bio-bubble since the beginning of the Test series between India and England.

Ishan Kishan, Rahul Tewatia and Suryakumar Yadav received maiden India call-up for the T20I series.

The two sides are slated to play five T20Is and three ODIs in Ahmedabad and Pune respectively. The T20I series begins on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The home side earlier won the Test series 3-1 and marched into the final of the World Test Championship to take place in Southampton against New Zealand in June.

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