Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has called for a major change in India’s approach to managing players across formats, while also raising questions about injury management after Varun Chakravarthy’s latest setback.
R Ashwin believes India should consider having separate squads for Tests, ODIs and T20Is, with only a few players moving between formats when required. He also said there needs to be greater accountability for how players’ injuries are managed. Varun Chakravarthy’s recent injury problems were a major part of Ashwin’s argument.
The spinner was ruled out of the Asian Games and India’s home series against the West Indies after suffering an injury during the opening T20I against Afghanistan. That match had marked Varun Chakravarthy’s return from an injury he picked up during India’s England tour. The 2026 season has been difficult for Varun Chakravarthy who has faced multiple injury setbacks, including during the 2026 Indian Premier League season.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said the time may have come for India to maintain separate teams for the three formats. He added that a small number of players could still move between squads but injury management needed more accountability. Ashwin specifically mentioned Varun Chakravarthy’s time at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). According to him, the spinner had spent around three to four months there.
Ashwin said permission had also been sought for Varun Chakravarthy to play in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) but he was not released. He added that Varun Chakravarthy was initially expected to return within about a month but ended up spending around two to three months at the NCA.
The former India spinner recalled suffering a side strain in 2015, which he attributed to Olympic lifting. Ashwin explained that players also need to examine whether their training methods and exercises are suitable for their bodies. After suffering that injury, he said he stopped doing the snatch exercise.
He acknowledged that Olympic lifting can help players improve their speed and power production but stressed that athletes need to be careful if a particular training method increases their injury risk.
Varun Chakravarthy was initially ruled out of the remainder of the Afghanistan series and was expected to travel with the team for the Asian Games. However, those plans were later abandoned after his injury problems continued.
Ashwin’s comments have therefore brought renewed attention to India’s workload management and the way players are handled when returning from injuries, particularly in a packed international and domestic cricket calendar.
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