Varun travelled with the squad to Nagpur, the venue for the first ODI, and trained on Tuesday ahead of the series opener on Thursday. He was the highest wicket-taker in India’s 4-1 victory in the T20I series that ended on Sunday, taking 14 wickets at an average of 9.86 with an economy of 7.66.
Varun is uncapped in ODIs and this is his first inclusion in the squad. He has played only 23 List A games and was the second highest wicket-taker in this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy with 18 wickets in six matches for Tamil Nadu. His presence in the ODI squad strengths a spin-attack that already included Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.
Varun’s inclusion is a significant development considering these ODIs against England are the first 50-over games India are playing since August last year and the only series before the upcoming Champions Trophy. A number of specialist bowlers in the Champions Trophy squad – Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah – are…