Fast bowler Harshit Rana has made a return to the Indian national cricket team after recovering from a long-term injury and is included for the third ODI match that is to be played against Afghanistan in Chennai on June 20.
On Friday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement confirming Rana’s inclusion and that he has completed his rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence so he can join the team for the finale of this series.
The BCCI made an official announcement saying, “Harshit Rana has completed his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and has joined the ODI squad in Chennai.”
Rana has not played any competitive cricket since February, when he hurt his knee at the warm-up match for India’s 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup against South Africa, causing him not to play in that tournament. He later had to undergo surgery. Because of the injury, this young fast bowler was also unable to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders during this year’s IPL season.
The return of Harshit Rana will greatly enhance the pace-bowling capacity of India, particularly taking into consideration the very flimsy prospects of Hardik Pandya as an all-rounder. The BCCI has not published any breaking news on Hardik; he doesn’t appear to be a part of the new squad announced for the third ODI.
According to reports, Hardik has developed a leg strain during his training session earlier this week at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and has now been removed from the squad, which doesn’t bode well for his availability for selection.
So far, India has won both ODIs out of three and won the series. They will look to wrap up the series with a clean sweep in Chennai.
This game will allow the Indian players who have recently returned from injury or who are new to ODI cricket to gain experience before what some will expect will be a very busy international schedule.
India Squad for Third ODI Against Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana
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