Varun Chakravarthy sustained a side strain during India’s T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi and will miss the remainder of the three-match contest. The spinner had only recently returned to international cricket after spending two months recovering from a Grade 2 hamstring injury sustained during the third T20I against England in early July. His comeback came after rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he had been undergoing structured recovery protocols.
Chakravarthy bowled his full complement of overs in his return match and took 1 for 16 as India won by seven wickets. However, the fresh injury has prompted veteran off-spinner R Ashwin to raise serious questions about the rehabilitation process and the management of the player’s fitness.
“I think the time has come to make separate teams for Tests, ODIs and T20Is. There might be cross-pollination of one or two players. I think somewhere down the line there has to be accountability for injury management with the players. I know that Varun Chakravarthy was at the NCA (CoE) for the last 3-4 months,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“We were asking for permission for TNPL, and they did not release him. He should have returned in a month, but he was there for 2-3 months. After taking so many protocols, he got a side strain after one match. That is a little concerning,” he added.
Player responsibility in injury prevention
Chakravarthy had played one match for Dindigul Dragons in the Tamil Nadu Premier League during August as part of his preparation for international cricket. In that game, he took 0 for 34. The spinner’s injury history in 2026 has been marked by multiple setbacks. He played in the Indian Premier League with two finger fractures and also suffered a broken toe during the tournament, which caused him to miss the tour of Ireland.
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“As a player, you also have to see that your training method is correct? Am I doing the right exercises? The only side strain I got in 2015 was due to Olympic lifting. After that, I stopped snatching. You can certainly be faster with Olympic lifting, your power production also increases, but if you have an injury that does not suit you, the player should also watch what he is doing,” Ashwin noted.
Chakravarthy’s absence from the Afghanistan series triggered squad changes for India’s upcoming commitments. Vipraj Nigam was included in the squad for the Asian Games 2026, which began on September 24 in Japan. Additionally, Kuldeep Yadav returned to the T20I setup for the home series against the West Indies.
The recurring injuries to Chakravarthy raised broader questions about the effectiveness of current rehabilitation protocols and the balance between structured recovery and player autonomy in managing individual fitness.
