Our mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy is all set to weave his magic on the Lankan batting unit, provided he gets to make his debut in the white ball series starting from today (18th July) at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. Our other Knight Nitish Rana, too, will be looking forward to a start in international cricket during the series.

Varun, plying his trade for Tamil Nadu, burst onto the scene primarily due to his consistency with the ball and his variations. However, one of the turning points in Varun's career was the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Coming into the high voltage tournament after a lukewarm season in 2019, Varun showcased grit and determination to become the leading wicket-taker for the boys in Purple and Gold with 17 wickets, including a five-wicket haul against the Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi.

His consistent performances in the shortest format of the game started creating ripples in the national circuit. With 22 wickets in nine List A matches and an impressive first half of the IPL, he will be one of the key players in the limited-overs squad for the Sri Lanka series.

With the conditions conducive for spin bowling and the T20 World Cup slated later this year, his performance in the upcoming series and the second half of the IPL might be crucial for Team India's chances at the iconic tournament.

Nitish, meanwhile, will be looking for a transition from hours of gruelling practice sessions in his hometown and thousands of runs in domestic cricket and IPL to representing the country in international cricket.

Nitish made his debut for the Knight Riders in 2018 and has been the mainstay in our batting unit, notching up consistent performances for the team at the top of the order.

Working tirelessly at the KKR Academy, the 27-year old had a standout first half of the season. He was the highest run-scorer for the boys in Purple and Gold, with 201 runs in seven matches. His crucial knock of 80 runs in the inaugural match of this edition of the competition, combined with consistent performances, paved his way into the national side.

Like most people, Nitish went through the grind of age-group cricket before making his much-awaited first-class debut for Delhi under his idol Gautam Gambhir.

In the 57 List A innings, he has amassed 1940 runs at an impressive average of 41.27 with three hundreds and 11 half-centuries.