India spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the remainder of the Afghanistan series on Monday. The spinner was injured after the series opener at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, which India won by 7 wickets. The BCCI has not revealed the cause of the injury.

“Varun has been ruled out. He is out of the remaining matches. It is a new injury,” a BCCI source told TOI.

It is a big blow for the player and India. He recently returned to action after recovering from his hamstring injury that led to omission from the squad during the white-ball matches in England. In the first game against Afghanistan, Varun Chakravarthy picked up a wicket and conceded 16 runs in his four overs.

Earlier, Varun had spoken about his fitness issues. This is actually my first muscle injury. All my earlier injuries have been impact injuries and other incidents that happened during matches,” he had said.

Chakravarthy’s injury would once again put the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) under scanner with players suffering frequent injuries.

Chakravarthy is also doubtful for the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, starting on September 19.

Ravi Bishnoi is the only specialist spinner left in the squad, while Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are the spin all-rounders.

Varun’s recent injuries

Varun Chakravarthy suffered discomfort in his left hamstring during the third T20I against England in July. He suffered a Grade 2 hamstring injury and missed the T20I series against Zimbabwe. He was told to report to CoE, and after spending close to two months away from international matches and undergoing rehabilitation, Chakravarthy was declared fit for the Afghanistan series.

India’s injury list is growing, with Harshit Rana already out of action. Hardik Pandya hasn’t recovered and he is being impacted by new issues now and then. Rana was on the verge of getting fit but suffered another injury during his rehabilitation at the CoE.

For the team management and the selectors, the immediate concern will be finding a suitable replacement for Varun.