Injured, return, injured, repeat: The curious case of Varun Chakravarthy

"It's good, brother," said Varun Chakravarthy when asked about his return to the team after a lengthy injury layoff and his miserly spell against Afghanistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

"Injuries are very common for all sportspersons. It just shows we are working hard and giving our best. Sometimes, we push beyond our limits, and that's when the body gives in. That's when you take a step back and come back stronger," he said.

Varun Chakravarthy spoke with the confidence of a man who no longer had fitness concerns on his mind. He sounded like a man prepared for a busy stretch of T20I cricket: a three-match series in Delhi against Afghanistan, followed by the Asian Games, before heading to New Zealand for a five-match series, all within the span of three months.

The control and sharpness in his bowling were encouraging. He rattled the stumps of Afghanistan's Darwish Rasooli and conceded only 19 runs in his four-over quota. After struggling for consistency during the second half of the T20 World Cup, a poor run of form that extended into the Indian Premier League and the T20I series in England, it was finally good to see Varun finding his rhythm again.

However, the joy was short-lived, with news reports emerging on Monday that the senior spinner had been ruled out with an injury.

At first glance, it was baffling. Varun had attended the post-match press conference after the first T20I in New Delhi. How could he have been injured? When did he sustain the injury, and where? Those were the questions running through everyone's minds.

While initial reports claimed that the injury was not serious and that he would be available for India's Asian Games campaign later this month, the BCCI on Tuesday revealed both the nature and timing of the injury.

"Varun Chakaravarthy experienced sudden-onset discomfort in his left lateral abdominal region while bowling his third over in the first T20I. Scans have revealed a side strain, and he has subsequently been ruled out of the remaining two T20Is," a statement from the board read after the toss on Tuesday. (Credit: BCCI X)

Baffling, indeed. Varun felt discomfort during the match, yet he still came to the press conference and spoke about injuries and making a comeback. The former World No. 1 T20I spinner must have been gutted when he learnt the results of the scans the following day.TOUGH FEW MONTHS FOR VARUN

It has been a tough few months for Varun Chakravarthy. After making a strong return to the T20I side and winning the World Cup in March, the Tamil Nadu spinner pushed himself through IPL 2026 despite managing a hairline fracture in his toe and a finger injury on his non-bowling arm. He played 11 games despite those injury concerns, often bowling with taped fingers and visibly showing discomfort.

It was a risky call from both the bowler and the Knight Riders, and Varun was ultimately ruled out of India's tour of Ireland in June.

However, he returned to action for the five-match series in England, only to suffer a hamstring injury during the third match. He was subsequently ruled out of the tour of Zimbabwe.

Varun has not had a recurrence of the same injury, but his latest setback once again puts the spotlight on the Centre of Excellence and its medical and sports science processes. The CoE has been under increasing scrutiny in recent months as a string of Indian players have suffered injuries, returned from rehabilitation only to break down again, or faced questions over the timelines for their comebacks.

The timing could hardly be more uncomfortable for the BCCI. The board only last week invited applications for the position of Head of Sports Science and Medicine at the CoE, a role that has remained vacant since Nitin Patel's departure. Dhananjay Kaushik has been overseeing the sports science operations in the interim, but the prolonged absence of a permanent head has inevitably become part of the conversation around India's growing injury list.

The BCCI has maintained that the vacancy has not affected the functioning of the CoE. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said earlier this month that around 16 people were involved in maintaining fitness and rehabilitation at the facility, while stressing that the board was looking for a suitably qualified person to take charge of the department.

Yet, with Harshit Rana suffering another hamstring injury while undergoing a fitness assessment at the CoE and now Varun breaking down again shortly after returning from rehabilitation, questions over the system are unlikely to disappear.

Was Varun deemed fully fit before being cleared to play in the Afghanistan series? Was his workload sufficiently monitored after a hamstring injury had already ruled him out of the Zimbabwe tour? And was there enough communication between the CoE, the team management and the selectors before he was brought back into India's T20I plans?

Those are questions the BCCI will have to answer. But it would be simplistic to put Varun's latest setback entirely on the player either.

At 35, Varun has certainly pushed his body hard. He played through a toe fracture and a finger injury during the IPL before suffering a hamstring injury on the England tour. There is a case to be made that the spinner needs to be more conservative about his workload and more willing to step back when his body sends a warning.- EndsPublished By: alan johnPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 20:27 IST