Varun Chakravarthy joins Team India ahead of 1st T20I vs England in Durham

Good news for the Indian cricket team as Varun Chakravarthy has joined the team ahead of India’s first match against England. India will start the England tour tomorrow with the 5-match T20I series, starting from July 1. Ahead of the 1^st T20I of the tour, Varun Chakravarthy was spotted doing practice sessions with the team.

As per the reports, the spinner looked well and without any discomfort during the training session. He missed the 2-match T20I series against Ireland because of a toe injury that he sustained during the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League, while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

During a match with KKR in the IPL 2026 season, Varun injured his toe. Later, it was revealed that the experienced spinner had a hairline fracture on his toe. Because of the injury, he remained on the sidelines for multiple weeks.

Varun Chakravarthy is set to make a return

Since the conclusion of KKR’s IPL 2026 campaign, Varun Chakravarthy has not featured in any matches. Varun Chakravarthy’s last international match for India was a T20 International (T20I) against New Zealand on March 8, 2026, during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The mystery spinner played a crucial role in India’s World Cup-winning campaign. For most of the IPL 2026 season, the 34-year-old’s form was far from his best. While he started to get some momentum and take wickets, the left toe injury cut short his run. If things go well, he is expected to make a return with the Indian cricket team during the series against the hosts, England.

Will India go with double spinners to take on England?

In the last match of the Ireland series, Axar Patel was the only regular spinner in the playing combination. Patel’s presence proved unfruitful as the spin bowling all-rounder’s performance with the ball and bat was subpar. With the 1-run defeat in the second match, India suffered a rare 0-2 series loss against Ireland.

The multi-time T20 World Cup-winning side must have eyes on the five-match T20I series against England as a perfect stage to make a strong comeback. After the series defeat against Ireland, the Indian team management is expected to make some shuffle in their playing combination. Varun Chakravarthy can be a starter as well.

If Varun joins the playing combination, will the team management keep Axar Patel, another spinner, in the line-up, or will they wish to go with double spinners in the first match at the Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street? Some of these questions remain around the probable playing combination of the Men in Blue.

Eyes will be on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as well

The England series will be crucial for Shreyas Iyer, who replaced the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav as the skipper, especially after being humbled by Ireland. India’s shocking defeat against the Ireland cricket team was mostly because of the poor batting in both of the games.

Along with Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will also be under the radar, as the 15-year-old has been waiting for his debut match for the senior national cricket team.