Kuldeep Yadav or a fast bowler - who should India pick Varun Chakravarthy over for IND vs AUS 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal?

Varun Chakravarthy made a stellar Champions Trophy debut in the clash against New Zealand on Sunday, March 2, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The 33-year-old picked up five wickets as the Men In Blue beat the Kiwis by 44 runs in the end.

Varun Chakravarthy ended with figures of 5/42, the best by an Indian on Champions Trophy debut. He accounted for the wickets of Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, and Matt Henry.

Next up, the Indian team will face Australia in the first semifinal on Tuesday, March 4, at the same venue in Dubai. Varun had replaced pacer Harshit Rana in the team for the game against New Zealand.

Ahead of the all-important fixture against Australia, the question now is who's place should Varun continue to play in. Should India pick him for Kuldeep Yadav, considering there were four spinners, or over a fast bowler?

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Varun Chakravarthy should stay in the side over a fast bowler

In all likelihood, Varun Chakravarthy should stay in the team and be picked again for the clash against Australia over a fast bowler. As he replaced Harshit Rana, Harshit should continue to sit out.

As three matches have already been played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the wicket is only expected to get more dry and slower. Spinners will undoubtedly have a big role to play, as seen in the game between India and New Zealand as well.

India have not been able to get a lot of wickets with the new ball upfront, with pacers operating. In the middle overs, the spinners have done the trick by choking the batters and squeezing them, not giving away easy runs.

Moreover, Australian batters are likely to struggle against spin, particularly in conditions such as those in Dubai. Varun Chakravarthy being a mystery spinner, whom the Australians have not played a lot either, will be one of India's biggest weapons in this clash.

Given his performance in the last game and the conditions on offer, picking Varun over a fast bowler should not be a tough call to make for the Indian team management.

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Kuldeep Yadav a no-brainer for 2025 Champions Trophy clash against Australia

Kuldeep Yadav in action against New Zealand during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is a no-brainer for the 2025 Champions Trophy clash against Australia. Kuldeep was impressive against New Zealand, picking up two wickets for 56 runs in 9.3 overs, including the big scalp of Daryl Mitchell.

Kuldeep has been bowling well in the tournament so far. He has picked up five wickets from three matches at an average of 27.80 and an economy rate of 4.87 with best figures of 3/40.

Since his return to the Indian side, Kuldeep has been a key performer in the ODI format with the ball. Along with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep's presence is a must against Australia keeping the nature of the surface in mind.

India would not want to offer much pace to the Australian batters on this track and attacking them with as many spinners will be the right move, especially given the high stakes of this contest.