Harshit Rana ruled out as Yash Thakur named replacement for Afghanistan T20Is, Asian Games | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: India fast bowler Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan and the 2026 Asian Games after suffering another injury setback, with Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur named as his replacement in both squads.As TimesofIndia.com had earlier reported, Rana had been progressing well with his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), but suffered a rectus femoris strain while bowling during a match simulation on September 7. Following the setback, the Men’s Selection Committee ruled him out of the upcoming assignments.The development comes after a prolonged injury layoff for Rana. The fast bowler sustained a hamstring injury during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge earlier this year.He also injured his knee during India’s warm-up match against South Africa ahead of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup and was ruled out of the tournament. Rana then underwent surgery and missed the 2026 Indian Premier League, where he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad.After completing his rehabilitation, Rana was brought back into India’s plans and was added to the squad for the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai on June 20.The latest injury, however, has forced him out of India’s next two assignments.Rana’s absence will be a blow to a pace attack that already includes Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. The selectors have opted for Yash Thakur as his replacement, handing the Vidarbha pacer another opportunity at international level.Yash Thakur gets another India call-upThe 27-year-old Thakur recently made his T20I debut during India’s tour of Zimbabwe in July. He featured in two matches and picked up four wickets.His domestic record has also made him a regular name in India’s limited-overs plans. Thakur has played 50 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches and has taken 81 wickets at an economy rate of 7.04.He will now be part of India’s squads for both the Afghanistan T20I series and the Asian Games.India will face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series on September 13, 15 and 17. Although all three matches will be played in Delhi, Afghanistan are the official hosts of the bilateral series.India will then turn their attention to the 2026 Asian Games. The team is scheduled to depart from Delhi on September 18, with Iyer continuing as captain and Tilak as vice-captain.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 ThakurIndia 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
