With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable due to injury, strengthening the bowling attack was the motive behind the selection committee picking mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in the 15-member squad and leaving opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal out for the ICC Champions Trophy to make space for him.

“The only reason was that we wanted another wicket-taking option in the middle (overs). And we know what Varun brings to the table. He can be a massive threat for a lot of teams who haven’t played him, and an X-factor as well,” head coach Gautam Gambhir explained after the 3-0 ODI series victory over England.

He was at pains to stress that team selection for specific matches was a matter of getting the composition right based on conditions and opponents.

“I’m not going to say that he’s going to start and all that stuff, but it’s always good to have a strong bowling line-up because if he can actually get those wickets in the middle, it’s always going to be an advantage. Otherwise, we know that Yashasvi has a fabulous future ahead,” Gambhir justified the selection call.