Just days ahead of the start of the Asian Games 2026, the Indian men’s cricket team have suffered a massive injury setback in the form of Varun Chakravarthy.
The premier spinner sustained a side strain and has been ruled out of the continental event. Young all-rounder Vipraj Nigam has received the call-up to replace Chakravarthy for the tournament, which is scheduled to begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Kuldeep Yadav was also a prominent substitute, but the selectors went with Nigam, perhaps because of the batting depth he offers.
“Varun is out for an indefinite period of time. Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav were the two available options from the long list. Kuldeep will play the West Indies ODIs later this month,” a BCCI source told PTI.
Chakravarthy, who was ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan after picking up an injury in the first match, is expected to be out of action for some time. The 24-year-old Nigam, who plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, has featured in 19 matches in the tournament and picked up 13 wickets. He has also impressed with the bat, boasting a career IPL strike rate of around 176.
The men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games is set to begin on September 24, with India entering the tournament directly at the quarter-final stage.
Chakravarthy had returned to the national team after recovering from a hamstring injury ahead of the Afghanistan series. However, he experienced discomfort after the first T20I and was subsequently sent to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further assessment.