Varun Chakaravarthy (Source: AFP)
It seems that India’s preparations for the Asian Games 2026 have been affected by the injury concerns surrounding mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.
The spinner has endured a difficult few months after suffering multiple injuries that have kept him away from regular cricket.
Varun Chakaravarthy first fractured a toe during the later stages of IPL 2026 but continued playing despite the pain. The injury ruled him out of India’s T20I tour of Ireland as he underwent rehabilitation at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.
He made his comeback during the England T20I series but suffered another setback after picking up a Grade 2 hamstring injury during the third T20I at Trent Bridge on July 10.
The BCCI later confirmed that Varun Chakaravarthy would miss the remainder of the England series and the Zimbabwe tour.
He is currently undergoing rehabilitation, and while there is still time before the Asian Games begin from September 19 in Japan, India may have to prepare for the possibility of playing without him.
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India's Asian Games 2026 Squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jasprit Bumrah
If Varun is unable to recover in time, these three spinners could be strong contenders to replace him in India’s Asian Games 2026 squad.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav is the most experienced and reliable replacement for India if Varun Chakaravarthy is unavailable. Although Kuldeep has often found himself in and out of India’s playing XI, his quality has never been in doubt.
His ability to bowl the left-arm wrist spin makes him a different challenge for batters. Unlike conventional left-arm spinners, Kuldeep spins the ball from the off side to the leg side for right-handed batters, creating angles that are difficult to read.
His experience of playing at high-pressure matches also makes him a valuable option. If India wants a ready-made replacement who can immediately fit into the squad without requiring much adjustment, Kuldeep Yadav is the obvious choice.
Yash Raj Punja
Young leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja has emerged as one of the most exciting spin prospects in Indian cricket.
With a height of around 6’5", Punja offers something very different from most wrist-spinners. His height allows him to generate extra bounce and a steeper trajectory, making it difficult for batters to attack him consistently.
The youngster has already impressed in domestic T20 cricket. During the Maharaja T20 League 2026, he picked up 5 wickets in 3 innings while maintaining an economy rate of 9.56. He also featured for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026, where he claimed 9 wickets in 8 innings with an economy of 9.30.
Zeeshan Ansari
Another promising option for Varun Chakaravarthy's replacement is Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari.
He was one of the standout bowlers in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, finishing as the joint second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament. He claimed 21 wickets in just 8 matches at an outstanding economy rate of 4.63.
His strong performances also earned him a place in the India A squad for the Sri Lanka red-ball tour.
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