AUS vs IND: KKR's Varun Chakravarthy Earns Maiden National Call-Up, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini Named In Test Squad

Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has earned a maiden national call-up, after impressing with the ball in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. Chakravarthy, who left his job as an architect as he was finding it difficult to make both ends meet, has joined the long list of IPL success stories after he was named in India's Twenty20 International squad to take on Australia. The 29-year-old mystery spinner has impressed one and all with his bowling and has 13 wickets to show for his efforts, five of which came against a strong Delhi Capitals side in one game.
 
During his injury-laden first season with the Kings XI Punjab, who had bought him for a whooping Rs 8.4 crore in 2019, the Tamil Nadu spinner could only feature in one game, where he leaked runs returning with figures of 1/35 in three overs, which led to the franchise releasing at him the end of the season.

However, he got a new life after two-time champions KKR picked him up to bolster their spin bowling attack and he has repaid that faith by emerging as one of the standout performers for the side in the ongoing campaign. While his wickets tally is not alarming, he has been impressive bowling at an economy of 7.05 through the middle overs.

Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini, who are leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore fast-bowling attack in IPL 2020, have also been rewarded for their impressive season with a place in the Test team. Navdeep Saini, one of the quickest bowlers in the country, has also been named in the ODI squad.

Siraj became the first first bowler in IPL history to bowl two maiden overs in a match. He has played six matches in IPL 2020 so far, picking up six wickets, while his teammates Saini has featured in RCB's all 11 matches so far but has only five wickets to his name.

While he may not have picked as many wickets as he would have like, what had made him standout is his economy impressive economy of 7.95, that too bowling inside the Powerplay and the at the death.

Topics mentioned in this article

Kolkata Knight Riders Royal Challengers Bangalore Varun Chakravarthy Mohammed Siraj Navdeep Saini IPL 2020 India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Cricket