Who Will Replace Varun Chakravarthy in India Playing 11 for 2nd T20I Against Afghanistan?

Team India suffered a massive blow ahead of the second T20I of the ongoing three-match T20I series against Afghanistan as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the entire series.

Chakravarthy played the first match of the series, where he made a good comeback from injury and returned figures of 1-16 in four overs. However, he won't play any further part in this series, according to the renowned journalist, Abhishek Tripathi.

Varun Chakravarthy injury due to side strain will force India to make a change in their playing 11 for the second T20I, which will be played on September 15. The Indian team management is likely to choose a like-for-like replacement for this game.

Who Will Replace Varun Chakravarthy in 2nd T20I?

India have two spinners amongst their squad to pick Varun Chakravarthy replacement for the AFG vs IND 2nd T20I in Delhi. Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi are those options and one of them is likely to play.

Ravi Bishnoi is likely to be preferred ahead of Washington Sundar due to the former being a specialist spinner. While Sundar can be a dependable bowler, Bishnoi's variations puts him ahead in this race and could be a like-for-like replacement for Chakravarthy.

Bishnoi is a seasoned spinner in this format and has also been in the No. 1 spot in ICC rankings for bowlers in T20Is. His skills with the ball are perfectly suited to this format and his variations can make him a key bowler in the middle overs.

Growing Concerns For COE

Replacing Varun Chakravarthy in the playing 11 won't be easy as he is one of the best T20 bowlers. A key part of India's bowling line-up, Chakravarthy's skills are a crucial factor for the Men in Blue in the shortest format.

The BCCI will be aware of the AFG vs IND T20I injury list and would hope that there are no more concerns. This will also put BCCI's Centre of Excellence under the scanner. There have been several concerns about the COE due to the growing injury list. With several important tours to come, the COE will have a big role to play.