India captain Suryakumar Yadav has broken silence on the reports saying that Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Effectively, Rana may not feature in the tournament but Suryakumar has stated that the budding pacer isn’t ‘ruled out’ yet.
While playing India’s only warm-up game against South Africa on February 4, Rana pulled up while bowling. Rana was supposed to make an impact with India’s bowling, given Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from the practice game. But his stint was short-lived, as he bowled just one over before walking off the field, clutching his knee.
Rana wasn’t quite himself, struggling with his lines and visibly uncomfortable in his run-up. He even stopped a couple of times while bowling the fifth over but managed to complete it, conceding 16 runs to Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton. Earlier today, reports emerged, stating that Rana is ruled out of the tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav on Harshit Rana
Speaking to reporters on the eve of India’s opening T20 World Cup game against the USA in Mumbai, Suryakumar Yadav was asked about Harshit Rana’s availability. While he stated that the pacer isn’t out yet, his words didn’t inspire confidence. He mentioned that the team is already looking at options if the 24-year-old is ruled out.
“He’s not yet ruled out of the tournament. Physios are looking at him. But it doesn’t look good. We’ll get to know by today. You make a squad thinking of combinations; if he is unavailable, then we have enough players to make a new combination. If we miss him, we will definitely miss him. We will look at fast bowlers who can bat also, but there is no hard and fast rule. Have options,” Suryakumar Yadav said on Friday in Mumbai.
What Rana provides is not just his bustling pace and that hit-the-deck ability. He extends the batting with his ever-evolving capability to bat at No. 8. No other frontline pacer can give that flexibility to the team. However, as per reports, if ruled out, India will bring in Mohammed Siraj as his replacement.
Cricket
Mohammed Siraj to replace injured Harshit Rana in India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad
