Chakaravarthy Ruled Out Of T20Is Against Afghanistan Due To Side Strain

Chakaravarthy Sidelined With Side Strain Ahead Of Afghanistan T20I Series

New Delhi: India's wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the remaining two T20Is vs Afghanistan (Arun Jaitley Stadium) after a fresh side strain. Scans confirmed the injury, and his availability for the Asian Games in Japan is now in serious doubt.

The Injury Timeline (From A Clinical View)

Chakravarthy, 35, picked this up during Sunday's 7-wkt win in the series opener, where he took 1 wkt for 16 in his 4 overs. Notably, this wasn't his first concern—he'd only just returned to the squad after recovering from a hamstring strain suffered on the England tour at the CoE Bengaluru (which made him miss the Zimbabwe T20I tour in July). He'd also battled a hairline fracture in his left foot during IPL 2026 with the KKR.

Honestly, as a sports doc, watching a 35-yr-old bowler fight his way back through hamstring issues, then a foot fracture, and now a side strain is concerning. The repetitive load on an aging bowling action is exactly what I warn patients about—rehab is brutal, and the body keeps score.

What Comes Next

He didn't show signs of the injury in the postmatch presser, but the scans tell a different story. A source confirmed he's out of the series, with his CoE return date pending.

India lead the 3-match series 1-0. The 2nd T20I is tmr (Tue), with the decider on Thu. Spin options left: Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, and uncapped Vipraj Nigam. Harsh Dubey and Shahbaz Ahmed are still rehabbing at the CoE.

Source: IANS

Source: Cricketnmore