17 Sep, 2026 3:13 AM, Thu
Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the one-off T20I against Japan and the 2026 Asian Games due to a side strain. Delhi Capitals leg-spin all-rounder Vipraj Nigam has been named as his replacement for both events.
Reason for Absence: Chakravarthy sustained a side strain during the 1st T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi shortly after returning from a hamstring injury. He was subsequently ruled out for an indefinite period and sent to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for assessment.
Maiden Call-Up: The 22-year-old Vipraj Nigam earns his first national call-up following strong performances for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, where he has picked up 13 wickets in 19 matches and boasts a T20 strike rate above 170.
Additional Squad Changes: Nitish Kumar Reddy was also withdrawn from the Asian Games roster to feature in India's upcoming ODI series against the West Indies.
Asian Games Outlook: India, led by Shreyas Iyer, enter the Asian Games men's cricket competition directly in the quarter-finals starting September 28 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
India's updated squad for the Japan T20I and Asian Games
Shreyas Iyer (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-capt), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam
| Rank | Team | Rating | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 122 | 5117 |
| 2 | Australia | 116 | 3936 |
| 3 | South Africa | 112 | 3357 |
| 4 | Pakistan | 106 | 2762 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 101 | 3349 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babar Azam | 824 |
| 2 | Shubman Gill | 801 |
| 3 | V. Kohli | 768 |
| 4 | H.T. Tector | 746 |
| 5 | R.G. Sharma | 746 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K.A. Maharaj | 716 |
| 2 | J.R. Hazlewood | 688 |
| 3 | A. Zampa | 686 |
| 4 | Mohammed Siraj | 678 |
| 5 | J.J. Bumrah | 665 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammad Nabi | 320 |
| 2 | Shakib Al Hasan | 292 |
| 3 | Sikandar Raza | 288 |
| 4 | A. Vala | 248 |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | 239 |
| Rank | Team | Rating | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 124 | 3715 |
| 2 | India | 120 | 3108 |
| 3 | England | 105 | 3151 |
| 4 | South Africa | 103 | 1845 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 96 | 2121 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K.S. Williamson | 859 |
| 2 | J.E. Root | 824 |
| 3 | D.J. Mitchell | 768 |
| 4 | Babar Azam | 768 |
| 5 | S.P.D. Smith | 757 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Ashwin | 870 |
| 2 | J.J. Bumrah | 847 |
| 3 | J.R. Hazlewood | 847 |
| 4 | K. Rabada | 834 |
| 5 | P.J. Cummins | 820 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R.A. Jadeja | 444 |
| 2 | R. Ashwin | 322 |
| 3 | Shakib Al Hasan | 310 |
| 4 | J.E. Root | 282 |
| 5 | J.O. Holder | 270 |
| Rank | Team | Rating | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 266 | 14108 |
| 2 | Australia | 256 | 10241 |
| 3 | England | 254 | 9660 |
| 4 | West Indies | 252 | 11604 |
| 5 | South Africa | 251 | 8287 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | T.M. Head | 844 |
| 2 | S.A. Yadav | 842 |
| 3 | P.D. Salt | 816 |
| 4 | Babar Azam | 755 |
| 5 | Mohammad Rizwan | 746 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.U. Rashid | 719 |
| 2 | Rashid Khan | 681 |
| 3 | P.W.H. De Silva | 674 |
| 4 | J.R. Hazlewood | 662 |
| 5 | A.J. Hosein | 659 |
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | P.W.H. De Silva | 222 |
| 2 | Mohammad Nabi | 214 |
| 3 | H.H. Pandya | 213 |
| 4 | M.P. Stoinis | 211 |
| 5 | Sikandar Raza | 210 |
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