Varun Chakaravarthy ruled out of Afghanistan series due to injury
Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the remaining T20I series against Afghanistan due to a side strain. The 35-year-old athlete has faced a series of injuries throughout the year, raising concerns about his availability for upcoming international tournaments.
Why it matters
The loss of a key player impacts team strategy and highlights the physical toll of professional cricket schedules on aging athletes.
Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of India’s next two T20Is against Afghanistan in the national capital on Tuesday and Thursday. The 35-year-old is understood to have developed a side strain after featuring in the Men in Blue’s seven-wicket win in the opener on Sunday (September 13, 2026). He had returned figures of 4-0-16-1.
“Varun has suffered an injury. He will play no further part in the series,” a source told The Hindu on Monday (September 14, 2026).
With the Asian Games in Japan starting soon after, it isn’t yet clear whether Varun’s injury will rule him out of the multi-sport spectacle too.
Varun has had an injury-marred year. After suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot during the Indian Premier League, he also hurt his hamstring and returned early from India’s T20 series against England in the United Kingdom. He missed the subsequent three-match series against Zimbabwe.
Also covering this story
3 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Game time after injury hiccups: Full-strength India take on Afghanistan in 1st T20I
India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I, score, result and highlights from New Delhi as India demolishes the visitors on their way to a seven-wicket victory.
IND vs AFG: Arshdeep, Abhishek power India to 7-wicket win over Afghanistan
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in