Varun Chakaravarthy’s comeback has stalled almost as soon as it began.
Barely two months after an extended rehabilitation stint at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, the 35-year-old spinner has broken down again and been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan. His participation in the Asian Games now hangs by a thread.
Fresh setback after promising return
On Sunday night at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, everything seemed to be falling back into place. Chakaravarthy sent down his full quota of four overs, looked close to his sharp, old self, and walked off with figures of 1 for 16. The only blemish in an otherwise tight spell was a pair of no-balls.
There were no visible signs of discomfort. No limping. No grimacing. In fact, in the post-match media interaction he spoke calmly about the realities of an athlete’s life, reflecting on how injuries often follow those who push their bodies to the limit.
But the pain surfaced later.
Cricbuzz understands that Chakaravarthy complained of a side strain after the game, prompting the team management to act quickly. He has been released from the squad and will fly to Bengaluru on Wednesday to consult the CoE’s medical team once again. Scans are expected before any decision is taken on his immediate future.
Asian Games clock ticking
Time is the real enemy now.
India leave for Japan on September 18 from New Delhi. They will play a bilateral fixture against the hosts on September 22 before beginning their Asian Games campaign on September 28. That leaves less than a week for doctors to assess the extent of the damage, chart a recovery path, and clear him — a window that already looks uncomfortably tight.
For a player just back from a significant layoff, the risk calculus changes. Chakaravarthy had earlier been forced to return midway through the T20I series in England in July due to a hamstring injury, which also ruled him out of the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe. He then spent close to two months at the CoE, working his way through rehab, ticking every fitness box before being picked for both the Afghanistan series and the Asian Games.
Sunday’s performance suggested that investment had paid off. The side strain has ripped that script.
A body under strain, a career in the balance
Chakaravarthy’s words after the match now carry a harsher edge. He had spoken about injuries being “part and parcel” of a sportsperson’s journey, about pushing beyond limits and the body eventually giving in, about stepping back to work better and come back stronger.
He may have to live that cycle all over again.
For India, this is a selection headache they did not want so close to a multi-sport event. For Chakaravarthy, it is something more personal: another battle with his own body at a stage of his career where every series, every tournament, feels significant.
The scans in Bengaluru will decide whether this is a minor detour or another long road back.
