Vipraj Nigam gets a maiden India call-up as the Asian Games squad drops to 14

India will defend their Asian Games cricket gold with a squad of 14 after a side strain ruled out Varun Chakravarthy and Nitish Kumar Reddy was moved to the West Indies ODIs

Vipraj Nigam has been named in an India squad for the first time, called up as Chakravarthy's replacement for the Asian Games in Japan and for the one-off T20I against the hosts that precedes the tournament.

Chakravarthy felt discomfort after bowling in the first T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi, and further assessment confirmed a side strain. The BCCI said the spinner had been "ruled out of the upcoming Japan T20I and the Asian Games owing to a side strain".

A second name has since come off the list. Nitish Kumar Reddy was withdrawn to play the West Indies ODIs and was not replaced, leaving Shreyas Iyer with 14 players for the trip.

A side strain cuts short a comeback

Chakravarthy, the 35-year-old Tamil Nadu leg-spinner, had only just returned to the T20I side after recovering from a hamstring problem when he broke down in Delhi.

He bowled economically in that match before the discomfort was picked up afterwards, and had already been ruled out of the rest of the series, which India won 3-0.

His absence costs India their most experienced T20I spinner of recent seasons, and with him go the variations the side has leaned on through the middle overs.

It is not the squad's only injury change. Yash Thakur was drafted in earlier for Harshit Rana, who was hurt during match simulation.

Nigam's first India call-up

Nigam is a leg-spinning all-rounder who came to wider notice with Delhi Capitals, for whom he has taken 13 wickets in 19 IPL appearances while batting at a strike rate close to 176.

The selectors had other options, among them Kuldeep Yadav, before settling on the uncapped all-rounder for a squad that still carries Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi as spin choices.

Reddy switches to the West Indies series

Reddy's withdrawal is not an injury. India's ODI series against West Indies begins on 27 September, with several white-ball regulars unavailable because of Asian Games duty, and the selectors chose to use him there.

The BCCI said Reddy "has been withdrawn and will feature in the ODI series against the West Indies".

He had returned only recently from a left quadriceps injury sustained during the Afghanistan ODIs in June, clearing a fitness test and match simulation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence before a three-wicket return against Afghanistan in the T20Is.

A first meeting with Japan in Sano

India and Japan have never met in men's international cricket. They do so on 22 September at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture, playing for the Suzuki Cup.

The BCCI said the match would "launch the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of India-Japan Diplomatic Relations", the first step of a sports initiative agreed between the two governments.

For Iyer's squad it also buys time in local conditions before the medal rounds begin.

The route to a second straight gold

The men's competition runs from 24 September to 3 October at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, with the group stage over the first three days. Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal make up one pool, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman the other.

India are seeded straight to the quarter-finals and start on 28 September against the runner-up from the first group. Pakistan play the other quarter-final earlier the same day.

The semi-finals follow on 1 October, with the bronze and gold medal matches on 3 October.

India arrive as holders in both the men's and women's events, having taken gold in Hangzhou when the men's final against Afghanistan was washed out and the title was awarded to them.

India squad: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Vipraj Nigam, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

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