Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out for the rest of the India vs Afghanistan T20I series following the first match on September 13. The spinner will miss both the second T20I on September 15 and the third on September 17. The inaugural T20I took place at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, with India securing victory by seven wickets. In that match, Chakravarthy bowled four overs, taking 1 wicket for 16 runs, after which he was withdrawn from the series.
Varun, who returned in the first game following his injury in England, has sustained a side strain and will be sidelined for the next two matches. He is scheduled to report at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, but it’s still uncertain if he’ll recover in time for the Asian Games next week. After a lengthy absence, Varun returned on Sunday in New Delhi, bowling four overs and taking 1/16. After the match, when questioned about his injury and return to the Indian team, Varun said it’s an inherent part of the sport.
Chakravarthy has been sidelined before in recent months. While playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026, he suffered a foot injury. He sustained a hamstring injury during the England T20I series in July 2026 and was subsequently sidelined after the third match, following which he began rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE).
His injury sustained during the England series also led to his absence from the following Ireland T20I series, as he remained in recovery at the BCCI facility. The most recent setback in the Afghanistan series adds to an already tough stretch of fitness issues for the spinner, who has struggled across various formats and assignments throughout 2026. With the upcoming Asian Games on the horizon, India have suffered a major blow due to the absence of their key spinner.
Since Chakravarthy is unavailable, India have spin bowling options available in the squad for the second and third T20Is. Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi are both available and are anticipated to split the spin-bowling duties in the next two matches against Afghanistan. The second T20I is set for September 15, 2026, with the third and final match taking place on September 17, 2026. India took the lead in the series following their seven-wicket win in Delhi and will rely on their available spinners to hold onto that advantage in the remaining matches.
