Varun Chakaravarthy has been sidelined from the ongoing T20 International series against Afghanistan after sustaining a side strain. The 35-year-old spinner is set to travel to Bengaluru to consult with the medical team at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Wednesday, where his availability for the upcoming Asian Games will be assessed through scans.
The timing of the injury presents a significant challenge for the Indian side. With the team scheduled to depart from New Delhi for Japan on September 18, recovery time is extremely limited. Following a bilateral warm-up match against the hosts on September 22, India is slated to begin their Asian Games campaign on September 28. These tight deadlines make his participation in the tournament highly uncertain.
During Sunday night’s match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Chakaravarthy had appeared to be in good form, completing a full four-over spell and finishing with impressive figures of 1 for 16. His only notable errors during the outing were two no-balls. However, the injury has interrupted his momentum, coming shortly after he spent two months at the CoE rehabilitating from a previous hamstring issue that forced him to withdraw from the T20I series in England this past July and miss the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe.
Reflecting on the physical toll of his profession during a post-match media interaction on Sunday, Chakaravarthy remained philosophical about his recurring setbacks. He noted that injuries are a common reality for athletes pushing their limits, stating, “Sometimes we push beyond our limits and that is when the body gives in. So, that is when we have to take a step back and work better and come back stronger.” He had been selected for both the Afghanistan series and the Asian Games squad only after being cleared for full fitness. The report also notes that the information available with this website is that Chakaravarthy (35) complained of a side strain after Sunday night’s game, and the team management has decided to release him without any further delay, at this stage. The report also notes that where India will participate in the Asian Games after playing a bilateral game against the hosts (on September 22), the time looks too short, but with less than a week left before the team’s departure for Japan. The report also notes that he finished with impressive figures of one for 16.
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