Who could replace Varun Chakaravarthy if the spinner is ruled out of Asian Games 2026?

Varun Chakaravarthy had suffered a hamstring injury during the England series in July. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam

India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy suffered another injury setback on Monday as he was ruled out of the ongoing Afghanistan series in New Delhi.

The 35-year-old had just returned after a hamstring setback and had completed a lengthy rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.

According to news reports, Chakaravarthy suffered a side strain during the first T20I in New Delhi on Monday. If this new injury rules him out for a lengthy period of time, India will have to name a replacement for him at the Asian Games.

Who are the other spinners in Asian Games squad?

India had named three other spinners apart from Chakaravarthy in its Asian Games squad. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are the all-rounders who bowl spin while Ravi Bishnoi is the only frontline spinner besides the Tamil Nadu bowler.

Who could replace Varun Chakaravarthy?

With India playing ODIs against West Indies, an India-A side playing multi-day games, and injuries to a Shahbaz Ahmed and Harsh Dubey, finding a direct replacement for Chakaravarthy might not be easy.

Kuldeep Yadav

The most obvious choice to fill in is Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm unorthodox bowler has been out of favour in the T20I setup and played just one game through the T20 World Cup campaign. But he had a decent run in the ODI Cup in England last month and has enough experience to strengthen the Indian side.

He is likely to be named in the ODI squad to face West Indies but could be moved to the Asian Games squad by the selectors.

Vipraj Nigam

The Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner has been named in the India-A squad for the One-Day series against Australia A, which begins October 6. This makes him a likely candidate to fill in.

He has been part of the India-A sides over the last year and his leg-spin could be a go-to option for the selectors for the Asian Games.

Krunal Pandya

Krunal’s solid IPL numbers and economical impact for Royal Challengers Bengaluru over the last two seasons have made a case for his selection.

However, since India already has Axar Patel as a sure-shot starter, Krunal is only an outside contender for the vacancy.