Star India spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the upcoming Asian Games. The star spinner picked up a side strain in the first T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and will be out of action for the time being.
“Varun is out for an indefinite period of time. Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav were the two available options from the long list. Kuldeep will play the West Indies ODIs later this month," a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
In his absence, BCCI is set to add Vipraj Nigam to the Asian Games squad. The Delhi Capitals all-rounder played 33 T20 matches, scoring 244 runs at a strike rate of 157.41 and also claimed 34 wickets in the shortest format of the game. When it comes to the IPL, the 22-year-old boasts a strike rate of 176.40, which proves his mettle in T20 cricket.
Why was Vipraj Nigam added to the squad?
Vipraj was picked for the tri-series against Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A. During which, the Uttar Pradesh cricketer impressed heavily in both batting and bowling departments. Batting at nine, he scored a half-century in the clash against Sri Lanka A, while the spin-bowling all-rounder claimed seven wickets during the series.
The team management is likely to reward him for his contribution and pick him for the Asian Games squad. Since he is a dependable batter in the lower order too, the team management may view him as a long-term prospect.
Still no room for Krunal Pandya
Despite performing to his merit in the IPL, Krunal Pandya failed to earn a spot in the squad. Since the team management considered an all-rounder as a replacement, the Baroda cricketer could have been a perfect fit, but it looks like the idea was to bring a young cricketer into the fold and develop him.
India’s probable squad for Asian Games after Varun ruled out:
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
With inputs from PTI
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