Varun Chakaravarthy, who suffered a hamstring injury during the India vs England T20I series, has been ruled out of the India vs Zimbabwe T20I series as well. The Men in Blue will travel to Harare to play 3 matches against the Chevrons from July 23 to 2026, but the mystery spinner isn’t expected to recover in time.
Chakaravarthy had played with fractures in his hand and foot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). As a result, he missed the 2-match T20I series in Ireland but was ready for the England tour. However, after 3 matches, the spinner injured himself again.
Ravi Bishnoi to travel to Zimbabwe
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to replace Chakaravarthy with Ravi Bishnoi. VVS Laxman, the head of the Centre of Excellence, will oversee the India tour of Zimbabwe and serve as the head coach. Laxman has decided to call Bishnoi, who was part of India’s squad for the Ireland and England series.
“Chakaravarthy also reported a sudden onset of discomfort in his left hamstring during the third T20I against England. An MRI scan subsequently revealed a Grade 2 hamstring injury. Based on specialist medical advice, he has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. He will report to the BCCI COE for further management,” BCCI said.
The decision seems rather odd. The leg-spinner didn’t play against Ireland and featured in two games against England. However, he bowled in just one game and went for 60 runs in 4 overs and failed to pick up a wicket. He was subsequently dropped and didn’t play against England.
Therefore, the decision to recall him doesn’t make much sense. The selectors could’ve gone for Vipraj Nigam or Suyash Sharma, even Krunal Pandya for that matter. But have decided to stick with Bishnoi.
India squad for Zimbabwe T20I series
Shreyas Iyer (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Ravi Bishnoi
India vs Zimbabwe T20I series schedule
| Match No. | Day | Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday | July 23 | 1st T20I | Harare |
| 2 | Saturday | July 25 | 2nd T20I | Harare |
| 3 | Sunday | July 26 | 3rd T20I | Harare |
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