Chakravarthy ruled out of Asian Games, Nigam named as replacement

India's spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the 2026 Asian Games due to a side strain, with young legspin allrounder Vipraj Nigam named as his replacement. The decision was confirmed on September 16, 2026, a day after Chakravarthy sustained the injury during India's first T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi. According to a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source, Chakravarthy is out for an indefinite period. The 35-year-old had only recently returned to the national side after recovering from a hamstring injury. He reported discomfort following the first T20I and was sent to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further assessment. The Asian Games are scheduled to begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with the men's cricket competition starting on September 24. India will enter the tournament at the quarterfinal stage. The squad is captained by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain. Nigam, a 22-year-old who represents Delhi Capitals in the IPL, has played 19 matches in the league, taking 13 wickets. He has also shown his batting ability, scoring at a strike rate of around 176.