India cricket team star Harshit Rana is most likely to make his comeback in the IND vs AFG 3rd ODI after spending months on the sidelines. The all-rounder, who went under the knife earlier this year due to a knee injury, missed the T20 World Cup 2026 and IPL 2026 as his recovery timeline was slated to be at least 3-4 months. While Rana was named as a part of the squad for the T20Is against Ireland and England, he now could return earlier than expected, with the team management asking him to join the camp before the third and final ODI against Afghanistan.
Harshit Rana to replace Hardik Pandya for IND vs AFG 3rd ODI?
As per the Times of India, the team management wanted Harshit to join the Team India camp early on in the series. However, they decided against it as they felt that he needed more practice at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE). The report states that the pacer from Delhi has been bowling 9-10 overs everyday and is also working hard on his batting. Rana is likely to obtain fitness clearance by June 17 and join the Indian team before the IND vs AFG 3rd ODI in Chennai.
“The team management offered Harshit the opportunity to join the team earlier in the series, but it was decided that he needed more practice at the CoE. He has been bowling nine to ten overs every day and has been able to maintain his intensity. He is also working very hard on his batting. He will most likely be officially cleared by the CoE on June 17 and will travel to Chennai immediately,” a BCCI source told the publication.
The move to ask Rana to join the team earlier than expected is an attempt of the selectors and the team management to groom him as a back-up pace all-rounder absence along with Nitish Kumar Reddy. Hardik Pandya, who is India’s premier all-rounder, won’t take part in the IND vs AFG ODI series as he suffered a quadrecips injury just a day after he obtained fitness clearance from the BCCI’s CoE. The report states that the selectors won’t name any replacement for Pandya in the series, which means NKR is the go-to option for the first two ODIs while Rana could make his comeback in the 3rd.
India squad for Afghanistan ODIs
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav
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