Varun Chakravarthy ruled out of Asian Games 2026 after injury setback
Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the second and third T20Is against Afghanistan as well as India’s Asian Games campaign after suffering a side strain. The spinner had only recently returned to international cricket following a two-month injury lay-off.
Chakravarthy made his comeback in the first T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on Sunday and bowled his full quota of four overs. He picked up 1/16 as India won the series opener by seven wickets, but experienced discomfort in his side after his spell.
The injury forced Chakravarthy to miss the second T20I in Delhi on Tuesday and he will also sit out the third and final match on September 17. More importantly, the setback has ruled him out of India’s Asian Games campaign, adding another name to the team’s growing injury list.
India have already secured the T20I series against Afghanistan after winning the first two matches. Nitish Kumar Reddy has also made an impact with the ball during the series, while Ravi Bishnoi has been given an opportunity following Chakravarthy’s absence.
The spinner’s latest setback comes after he had worked his way back from a Grade 2 hamstring injury suffered during India’s tour of England in July. He subsequently underwent rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru before returning to competitive cricket in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
WHAT WAS CHAKRAVARTHY’S INJURY?
Chakravarthy returned to India’s T20I setup after missing around two months because of his hamstring problem. He had featured for Dindigul Dragons in one Tamil Nadu Premier League match in August, finishing with figures of 0/34, before being picked for the Afghanistan series.
His return against Afghanistan initially went smoothly as he completed four overs and conceded only 16 runs while taking a wicket. However, discomfort in his side after the match meant he was withdrawn from the remaining matches and subsequently ruled out of the Asian Games.
India have not named an official replacement for Chakravarthy yet. Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar are the two specialist spin options available in the squad, while Axar Patel also provides another option after taking 1/27 in the opening T20I.
INDIA’S INJURY PROBLEMS
Chakravarthy is the latest Indian player to miss out because of an injury. Harshit Rana was ruled out of both the Afghanistan series and Asian Games after failing to recover in time, with Yash Thakur named as his replacement.
Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy have also recently returned after injury concerns. Washington and Nitish were cleared to play after undergoing fitness assessments, while Bumrah has been included in both squads.
India will play the third T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on September 17 before facing Japan in a one-off T20I on September 22. Their Asian Games campaign will begin with the men’s cricket quarter-finals on September 28, followed by the semi-finals on October 1 and final on October 3.
India’s Asian Games squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yash Thakur.
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