Varun Chakaravarthy's Injury Struggles Continue
Varun Chakaravarthy’s comeback has lasted all of one match.
Back in Indian colours after nearly two months of rehab at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, the 35-year-old has broken down again and has been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan. His participation in the Asian Games now hangs by a thread.
From reassurance to relapse in 24 hours
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 old, nagging best, and walked off with figures of 1 for 16. The only smudge on the spell: two no-balls. Otherwise, it was the sort of tight, clever bowling India have come to expect from him.
There was no visible sign of distress. No limping, no on-field treatment. He even fronted up to the media, speaking calmly about the realities of life as a professional athlete.
“Look, injuries are very common for all sportspeople and it just shows that we are working, we are giving our best. 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,” he said that night.
Less than a day later, the body gave in again.
Side strain ends series, clouds Asian Games
Cricbuzz has learned that after the game Chakaravarthy complained of a side strain, prompting the Indian team management to move quickly. With no sense in taking chances so close to a major multi-sport event, they have decided to release him from the Afghanistan series with immediate effect.
He will fly to Bengaluru on Wednesday to meet the CoE medical team, who will put him through scans before any decision is made on his availability for the Asian Games. Time, though, is brutally short.
India are scheduled to leave for Japan on September 18 from New Delhi. Before the Asian Games campaign begins, they will play a bilateral match against the hosts on September 22. The first official Asian Games fixture for India is slated for September 28. That leaves less than a week from his medical assessment to the team’s departure.
In elite sport, that is barely enough time to complete a diagnosis, let alone push a bowler through a return-to-play protocol.
A stop-start year
This latest setback continues a frustrating, staccato stretch in Chakaravarthy’s international career.
In July, he had to return midway through the T20I series in England with a hamstring injury, which also ruled him out of the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe. Those issues sent him to the CoE, where he spent close to two months in recovery and rehabilitation, working towards a full return.
The selectors brought him back for the Afghanistan series and pencilled him in for the Asian Games only after he was deemed fully fit. Sunday’s performance in Delhi seemed to justify that faith: four overs, one wicket, 16 runs, control restored, rhythm rediscovered.
Now, the script has been torn up again.
For India, it raises uncomfortable questions about how hard they can lean on a specialist spinner whose body keeps rebelling. For Chakaravarthy, it is another enforced pause, another rehab block, another race against the clock.
The next set of scans in Bengaluru will decide whether that race includes the Asian Games, or whether Japan will have to wait for a bowler who cannot yet trust his own body.
