Harshit Rana's injury woes continue, ruled out of Afghanistan T20Is and Asian Games

India fast bowler Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan and the following Asian Games men’s T20I tournament. Rana had recently made a comeback to the team on the Ireland tour in June 2026 after undergoing knee surgery and played both T20Is on the tour.

However, he again sustained a hamstring injury while playing in the third T20I against England in July. He was progressing well during his rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE). However, another rectus femoris strain sustained while bowling during a match simulation on September 7 has stalled his progress again. As a result, he has been ruled out.

In his place, the Men’s Selection Committee has named Yash Thakur as his replacement. Thakur recently made his T20I debut during India’s tour of Zimbabwe in July and played two matches and took four wickets. He has featured in 50 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, picking up 81 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.04.

Meanwhile, apart from him, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy’s availability is also subject to fitness clearance. The three-match T20I series against Afghanistan begins on Sunday, September 13. 

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