Varun Chakaravarthy has been reportedly ruled out of India’s T20I series against Afghanistan after bowling his full quota of four overs in the first match on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Reports claim that he picked up the injury after the match, but the nature and extent of it is yet to be determined.
Chakaravarthy has been dealing with a spate of injuries in the last few months. He suffered an impact injury on his foot during IPL 2026. Though he continued to play through the pain for Kolkata Knight Riders, he underwent rehab at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and missed the T20I series in Ireland.
He returned for the ensuing T20I series against England but got ruled out after the third match due to a hamstring issue, and returned to the CoE.
He played a Tamil Nadu Premier League match in August before being called up for the ongoing rubber, where he bowled quite well, and even took a wicket.
The reported injury would have likely been spotted much after the T20I for Chakaravarthy attended the press conference afterwards and made no mention of it. When asked about his recent history, he spoke about how injuries were a reflection of an athelte’s hardwork.
“Look, injuries are very common for all sports people and it just shows that we are working, we are giving our best,” Chakravarthy said. “Sometimes, we push beyond our limits and that is when the body gives in. So, that is when we have to take a step back and work better and come back stronger.”
This comes at a time when the CoE is already under the scanner for its management of injuries, even as the BCCI continues to look for a head of sports science, a position that’s vacant since last year. Chakaravarthy is one of the many examples of players suffering issues soon after their come back matches.
