Varun Chakaravarthy, back in action after a two-month recovery and rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, has broken down again. Cricbuzz can confirm that he is out of the ongoing Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan and could be doubtful for the Asian Games in Japan.

According to information available with this website, Chakaravarthy (35) complained of a side strain after Sunday night's game, and the team management has decided to release him without any further delay. He will fly to Bengaluru to meet the CoE medical team over the next 24-48 hours, after which a call will be taken on his Asian Games participation.

Cricbuzz understands that the CoE managers will take him for scans before any decision is made. But with less than a week left before the team’s departure for Japan, where India will participate in the Asian Games after playing a bilateral game against the hosts (on September 22), the time looks too short.

The Indian team leaves for Japan on September 18 from New Delhi. India’s first game in the Asian Games is on September 28.

Chakaravarthy bowled his full quota of four overs on Sunday night at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi and it appeared that he was back to his old best. He did not look as effective in recent times and his only blemish were the two no-balls he bowled. He finished with figures of one for 16.

Chakaravarthy had to return midway from the T20I series in England in July due to a hamstring injury and missed the subsequent series in Zimbabwe. He spent almost two months at the CoE and was picked for the Afghanistan series and the Asian Games after being deemed fully fit.

The spinner looked fine after the match on Sunday and, during the post-match media interaction, he spoke about injuries being part and parcel of an athlete’s life. “Look, injuries are very common for all sportspeople and it just shows that we are working, we are giving our best. Sometimes we push beyond our limits and that is when the body gives in. So, that is when we have to take a step back and work better and come back stronger,” he said.