Vipraj Nigam replaces injured Varun Chakaravarthy in India's squad for Asian Games 2026

Nigam steps in for injured Chakravarthy in India's Asian Games squad 🏏

Delhi Capitals legspinner Vipraj Nigam has been called up as a replacement for Varun Chakravarthy in India's Asian Games 2026 squad. Confirmed today (Sep 16), the move comes after Chakravarthy picked up a side strain during yesterday's T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi.

The injury: Chakravarthy bowled 4 overs (1/16) before feeling discomfort in his third over. India won by 7 wkts regardless. He's been flown to Bengaluru for scans at the Centre of Excellence and ruled out of the tournament.

Why Nigam: Kuldeep Yadav had also been listed as a replacement option, but his selection for the upcoming ODI series vs West Indies opened the door. Nigam was the natural fill.

Fitness red flag: This is Chak's second injury blow in months—he missed significant time with a Grade 2 hamstring during the England tour in July. Questions are mounting around his workload management ahead of a packed calendar. Worth watching for anyone tracking his availability long-term.

Spin depth: Nigam adds another wristspin option alongside Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi. With Kuldeep unavailable, India's spin department stays well covered.

The full 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, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam.

Tournament kicks off Sep 28 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Sanjay Manjrekar has already backed India to take gold. 🇮🇳

Source: Crictracker