Varun Chakaravarthy ruled out of tournament; THIS spinner gets India call-up

Team India's mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the upcoming Asian Games 2026. He has faced a side strain, following which he won't be in India's squad for the continental event.

Young leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam has received a call-up in the Indian squad for the Asian Games. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named India's updated squad for the continental event and the historic T20I match against Japan. Additionally, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was included in the Asian Games squad, has been withdrawn. He will make his appearance in the ODI series against the West Indies.

Chakaravarthy suffered an injury in the first T20I match of the ongoing three-match series against Afghanistan. Considering the spinner's injury, he is expected to remain out of action for some time.

The 22-year-old Nigam, who represents Delhi Capitals in the IPL, has so far played 19 matches in the league, taking 13 wickets. has also shown his big-hitting ability, scoring at a strike rate of around 176 in his IPL career.

🚨 News 🚨#TeamIndia ODI & T20I squads announced for West Indies tour of India 2026, along with updated squad for Japan T20I & Asian Games.

More Details ▶️https://t.co/Lxx3Bz8Q14 pic.twitter.com/Y9RGlQ09XK

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 16, 2026

The Asian Games 2026 is set to kick off from September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The men's cricket event will begin on September 24.

Coming to the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, Team India has won two matches. Recently, the "Men in Blue" secured a win by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Shreyas Iyer-led men are leading the series by 2-0, with one game yet to be played. The third match is scheduled to be played on September 17 at the same venue.

India’s updated squad for the Japan T20I and the Asian Games 2026

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam.