Nitish Kumar Reddy withdrawn from Asian Games, BCCI announces Vipraj Nigam as Varun Chakaravarthy's replacement

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) has withdrawn Nitish Kumar Reddy from Asian Games 2026's main squad. Nitish Kumar Reddy won't be able to participate in the Asian Games 2026 as he has been included in the ODI squad for the series against West Indies, which is scheduled to be played from September 27.

No Nitish Kumar Reddy in Asian Games 2026

In other news, Vipraj Nigam has been officially announced as Varun Chakaravarthy's replacement in India's Asian Games squad. Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of the Asian Games after picking a side strain in the first T20I against Afghanistan.

A formal statement from the BCCI confirmed the news. The release also revealed that mystery spinner Varun will sit out the Asian Games campaign as he recovers from an injury.

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India’s updated squad for the Japan T20I & the Asian Games:

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, Vipraj Nigam

India’s ODI squad for West Indies series:

Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.

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Since earning his maiden 50-over cap against Australia at Perth on October 19, 2026, the 23-year-old all-rounder has made six ODI appearances for the national side, accumulating 100 runs and claiming two wickets.

Nitish previously featured in two ODIs under Shubman Gill’s captaincy during the Afghanistan series in June 2026, where he wasn't required to bat in either fixture. He did, however, make an impact with the ball in the series opener at Dharamsala's HPCA Stadium, finishing with figures of 2 for 38.

His latest ODI call-up follows a standout performance in the second T20I at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, where a three-wicket haul against Afghanistan earned him the Player of the Match award.