Asian Games 2026: Nitish Reddy withdraws, Vipraj Nigam replaces Chakaravarthy
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Asian Games 2026: Nitish Reddy withdraws, Vipraj Nigam replaces Chakaravarthy")
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Vipraj Nigam Photograph: (AFP/SLC)
Nitish Kumar Reddy has withdrawn from the Asian Games 2026 squad to play ODIs against the West Indies, while injured Varun Chakravarthy has been replaced by Vipraj Nigam.
Nitish Kumar Reddy will miss the 2026 Asian Games as he has been selected for India’s three-match ODI series against the West Indies. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s squad for the home series on Wednesday, with Nitish included in the 15-member team. The BCCI said Nitish has been withdrawn from the Asian Games squad so he can play in the ODI series against the West Indies. The board also confirmed that Varun Chakaravarthy will miss the Asian Games after suffering an injury.
Varun picked up a side strain while bowling in the first T20I of India’s ongoing three-match series against Afghanistan and was ruled out of the final two games on Tuesday.
Delhi Capitals all-rounder Vipraj Nigam has been named as Varun’s replacement and will travel to Japan with the Indian team.
“Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the upcoming Japan T20I and the Asian Games owing to a side strain. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Vipraj Nigam as his replacement. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was originally included in the Asian Games squad, has been withdrawn and will feature in the ODI series against the West Indies,” the BCCI stated in a release.
India’s updated squad for the Japan T20I & the Asian Games
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Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam
Reddy’s ODI record
Nitish made his ODI debut for India against Australia in Perth on 19 Oct, 2025 and has since played six ODIs, scoring 100 runs and taking two wickets.
He featured in two ODIs against Afghanistan in Jun 2026 under Shubman Gill’s captaincy but did not get an opportunity to bat in either match. With the ball, he took two wickets in the first game of the series at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
Nitish was added to India’s ODI squad a day after his impressive performance against Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where he took three wickets and was named Player of the Match.