Three candidates to fill Varun Chakravarthy’s spot in India squad for IND vs AFG T20Is

Varun Chakravarthy will miss the remainder of India’s T20I series against Afghanistan after suffering an injury following the first match, a report said. Chakravarthy had just returned from injury and played a part in India’s dominant win in the opening T20I before being ruled out.

Chakravarthy has been described in the report as one of India’s leading limited-overs spinners, with variations and an ability to take wickets in the middle overs cited as reasons for his importance to the T20 attack. The selectors face a selection decision for the three-game series but have depth in the spin department, with options among established internationals and recent domestic performers.

In the first T20I against Afghanistan, Chakravarthy bowled a full four-over spell and took one wicket. He has been ruled out with an injury and will not be part of India’s squad for the second T20I.

Yuzvendra Chahal is presented as an obvious candidate to replace Chakravarthy; the report calls him one of India’s most experienced T20 spinners and describes him as widely regarded among India’s finest tricksters in white-ball cricket. Chahal is noted as having once been one of India’s leading wicket-takers in the shortest format, and his long-anticipated comeback is framed as offering the team an experienced wrist-spinner who has played T20 cricket under pressure.

Kuldeep Yadav is listed as another clear replacement option in the report, described as a left-arm wrist-spinner who is an important member of India’s 50-over squad. The piece highlights Kuldeep’s ability to trouble batters with variation and angles, his international experience, and his prior involvement in India’s T20I setup and World Cup campaigns.

Harsh Dubey is identified as the younger prospect among the trio, with the report naming him a left-arm orthodox spinner who has impressed in domestic cricket. Dubey is said to have become part of India’s white-ball planning for the forthcoming future and can contribute as a lower-order batsman, but the report notes he is inexperienced compared with Chahal and Kuldeep.

The selectors are required to name Chakravarthy’s replacement for the three-game series ahead of the next match, which is scheduled for 15 September at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.