Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out, while Nitish Kumar Reddy has been withdrawn from the Shreyas Iyer-led Team India squad for Asian Games 2026.
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Team India has suffered a major squad change ahead of the Asian Games 2026(Photo: IANS)
India have suffered a double blow ahead of their Asian Games 2026 campaignSpinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the tournament due to a side strain, while all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has also been withdrawn from the squad after being picked for the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies.
The Men’s Selection Committee has named young leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam as Chakaravarthy’s replacementNigam has received his maiden international call-up as India make changes to their squad for the Asian Games and the one-off T20I against Japan.
Varun Chakaravarthy ruled out with side strain
Chakaravarthy’s withdrawal comes after he suffered a side strain during India’s first T20I against Afghanistan in DelhiHe felt discomfort while bowling his third over, and scans later confirmed the injury.
The 35-year-old spinner had returned to India’s T20I setup after recovering from a hamstring injuryHe made an impressive comeback against Afghanistan, finishing with 1/16 from his four overs and bowling 13 dot balls.
However, the latest injury means Chakaravarthy will miss the remaining Afghanistan T20Is, the one-off T20I against Japan and the Asian Games.
Vipraj Nigam gets maiden India call-up
With Chakaravarthy unavailable, the selectors have brought in Vipraj NigamThe 22-year-old leg-spinner has represented Delhi Capitals in the IPL and has taken 13 wickets in 19 matches.
Nigam has also shown his ability with the bat in the IPL, scoring at a strike rate of around 176His inclusion gives India another spin option ahead of their Asian Games campaign.
Nitish Kumar Reddy withdrawn from Asian Games squad
Nitish Kumar Reddy’s case is different from Chakaravarthy’sThe all-rounder has not been ruled out because of an injuryInstead, he has been withdrawn from the Asian Games squad after being selected in India’s ODI team for the three-match home series against West Indies.
The ODI series begins on September 27, while India’s Asian Games campaign will also take place in the same periodAs a result, Reddy will now be part of the ODI setup rather than travelling with the Asian Games squad.
India’s updated Asian Games squad
After the latest changes, India’s updated squad includes Shreyas Iyer as captain and Tilak Varma as vice-captainAbhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam are also part of the squad.
The Asian Games begin on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, while the men’s cricket competition starts on September 24India will enter the competition at the quarter-final stage.
