Indian seamer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the forthcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, scheduled to start on Sunday, September 13, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Yash Thakur has been named as his replacement for Afghanistan T20Is and the forthcoming Asian Games.
Notably, Rana sustained a Grade 1 right hamstring injury during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge and also missed the 2026 T20 World Cup and the IPL season after suffering a ligament strain in his right knee in February 2026.
“He has not yet fully recovered from his hamstring injury. He will need more time,” said a BCCI source.
Meanwhile, Indian ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Nitish Reddy were also included in the India squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan, subject to fitness. While Bumrah had an impact injury to his left knee, Reddy injured his left quadriceps.
Notably, Bumrah is awaiting his fitness clearance from the CoE, while Nitish Kumar Reddy has passed the fitness test. After the Afghanistan T20I series, India will take on Japan in a T20I in Sano on Tuesday, September 22. Also, they will take part in the Asian Games from Monday, September 28.
“Both Bumrah and Reddy are on track for their comeback,” the source added.
It’s important to note that India’s 15-member squad for the Afghanistan series contains three other players whose selection is subject to fitness clearance: Bumrah, Reddy and Washington Sundar.
India’s updated squad for Afghanistan T20Is: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson [WK], Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur
India squad for the 2026 Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur
