Fast bowler Harshit Rana has been sidelined from India’s three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and the 2026 Asian Games due to a new muscle injury. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Thursday that Yash Thakur from Vidarbha has been named as his replacement for both events.
However, Harshit suffered a rectus femoris (thigh muscle) strain while bowling during a match simulation on September 7, cutting short his comeback trail. The setback continues a difficult year for the 24-year-old pacer. He missed the 2026 T20 World Cup after a knee injury in a warm-up against South Africa, underwent surgery, sat out IPL 2026, and then broke down again on the England tour. India, led by Shreyas Iyer with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain, will host Afghanistan for three T20Is at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi from September 13 to 17 before traveling to Japan to defend their Asian Games gold medal. 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
Rana was undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and had initially been included in the squads subject to fitness clearance.
