Photo via Hindustan Times

With Varun injured, pressure on India’s secondary bowling options

India recorded a seven-wicket victory against Afghanistan during the opening T20 international, but an injury that subsequently sidelined spinner Varun Chakravarthy for the rest of the series has drawn attention to the squad's backup bowling depth. Chakravarthy delivered an economical spell of 1 for 16 across four overs, reflecting his approach of focusing entirely on proper execution rather than outcomes.

In contrast, support bowlers Nitish Kumar Reddy surrendered 30 runs across two wicketless overs, while Shivam Dube was tasked with the final over and leaked 21 runs against an in-form Azmatullah Omarzai. Following the match, captain Shreyas Iyer acknowledged that turning to Dube for the twentieth over was a difficult circumstance brought on by a lack of alternative options.

The struggles among India's secondary bowling choices allowed an 83-run stand between Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi, propelling the visitors past the 150-run mark. With Hardik Pandya unavailable and injuries accumulating across the roster, the team also tested opening batter Abhishek Sharma's developing off-spin, which yielded eight runs in a single over.