Major Injury Blow for Team India: Mystery Spinner Varun Chakravarthy Ruled Out of Afghanistan Series

In a significant blow to the Indian cricket team, their premier T20I spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the remaining two T20Is against Afghanistan. The setback comes after an MRI scan confirmed that the 35-year-old spinner suffered a fresh side strain injury, casting serious doubts over his participation in the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in Japan, where Team India will be defending their gold medal.

 

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Chakravarthy picked up the injury following the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday, September 13. The mystery bowler had produced an exceptional performance in the series opener, returning tidy figures of 1/16 in his four overs without conceding a single boundary to help India secure a comfortable seven-wicket win.

More of a precautionary measure for Varun Chakravarthy

The timing of the injury is particularly disappointing, raising concerns over his participation in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The 35-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during India’s tour of England in July and made his way back to the squad in this series. He completed his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru alongside teammates Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, to make his way back to the Indian T20I squad for the Afghanistan series.

Confirming the latest development, a BCCI source disclosed:

“Yes, Varun has been ruled out. He is out of the series. It is a fresh injury.”

Another official source elaborated on the nature of the setback:

“It is a fresh injury. MRI has revealed that it is a side strain. He is out of the series and looks unlikely for Asian Games,”

Speaking on his recent history of physical setbacks, Chakravarthy had previously noted:

“This is actually my first-ever muscle injury. So all of my injuries have been impact injuries and other accidents that have happened on the field.”

Who could replace Varun in the remaining T20Is against Afghanistan?

Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers in the opening T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu picked up a wicket, giving away only 16 runs in his full quota of 4 overs. His void is a big one to fill; however, India has two spin-bowling options: Ravi Bishnoi and Gautam Gambhir’s extreme favorite, Washington Sundar, who rarely bowls in white-ball cricket nowadays.

The head coach should back his favorite, Washington Sundar, to replace Varun Chakravarthy in the eleven. Although Washington won’t bowl his full quota of overs, as he hasn’t for quite some time now, he would still be preferred by head coach Gautam Gambhir over a full-fledged leg-spinner, Ravi Bishnoi.