Gambhir Urges for Utilizing Champions Trophy Trump Card in England Tests: 'It's a Swollen Nerve'

Former India cricketer Navjot Singh, speaking on Sports Today, advised Gambhir to strategically utilize his Champions Trophy trump card in order to gain an edge over Ben Stokes' team and secure India's first Test series win in England since 2007. Sidhu recommended selecting Varun Chakravarthy for the tour, pointing out England's historical susceptibility to mystery spinners.

"Mystery spinners are England's weakness. It's a swollen nerve for England. Will you leave out Varun Chakravarthy? No, you will have to play him. Or you will play Kuldeep Yadav with his high-end deliveries from both ends, they can't read him," Sidhu said.

Notably, Varun emerged as India's best bowler in the tournament despite having played just three games. He finished with nine wickets in three matches, including a five-wicket haul, at an economy rate of under five.

Despite his white-ball exploits, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is unlikely to consider Varun for the Test tour, given that the Tamil Nadu bowler played just one First Class match in his career back in 2018.

Gambhir's 'A' plan for England tour

According to a Times of India report, Gambhir has already devised a plan to get a head start on his preparations for the England tour as he is set to accompany the India 'A' team on a visit to the country, which will be played before the senior team's five-match contest. The move aims at the former India opener to prepare his reserve pool for the campaign.

"Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI since he returned from Australia. He has expressed his desire to travel with the India 'A' team to get a clearer view of the reserve pool," a BCCI source told TOI. "With India winning the Champions Trophy after Gambhir's insistence for certain wild card players, one may expect him to assert more in future."

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