Harshit Rana has been added to India’s squad for the third and final ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai, with the BCCI confirming on Friday that the pacer has completed his rehabilitation and linked up with the team. Rana had been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence since February, when a knee injury picked up during a warm-up match against South Africa ruled him out of the T20 World Cup.
The Men’s Selection Committee confirmed the move a day before the series finale at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, with Rana having undergone surgery on the injury before working through an extended recovery programme. The 24-year-old missed IPL 2026 entirely, sitting out the season for Kolkata Knight Riders as he rebuilt his fitness.
Quick Facts
- Player added: Harshit Rana (pace-bowling allrounder)
- Reason: Recovered from knee injury, completed rehab at BCCI Centre of Excellence
- Match: 3rd and final ODI vs Afghanistan, Chennai, Saturday, June 20
- Series state: India lead 2-0
- Career ODI numbers: 26 wickets in 14 matches at 27.38
Road back from injury
Rana’s setback in February came at a difficult time, with the T20 World Cup just weeks away. He was replaced in that squad by Mohammed Siraj and has not played for India since the T20I series against New Zealand that preceded the tournament. He did feature in the ODIs before that series, putting in a notable all-round performance in the final match against New Zealand, where he took three wickets and made 52 off 43 balls batting at number eight.
Since recovering, Rana has already been named in India’s squads for the T20I series against England and Ireland, as well as for the Asian Games in Japan. His inclusion in the ODI squad for Chennai gives him a chance to return to international cricket sooner than expected, should he be picked in the playing XI.
The Men’s Selection Committee has added Harshit Rana to the India squad for the third and final IDFC First Bank ODI against Afghanistan. Mr Rana, who has completed his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, has linked up with the ODI squad in Chennai.
BCCI statement, June 19
Series context
India have already wrapped up the ODI series, winning the first match by seven wickets in a contest reduced to 25 overs a side by rain in Dharamshala, before a 170-run win in Lucknow built on centuries from Ishan Kishan and captain Shubman Gill. The tour began with a one-off Test that India won inside three days by an innings and 300 runs. Saturday’s match in Chennai gives the hosts a chance to complete a clean sweep.
The selectors have not named a replacement for Hardik Pandya, who was left out of the updated squad after reportedly suffering a leg strain while training at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The board has not issued a formal statement on his fitness.
| Squad | Players |
|---|---|
| 3rd ODI vs Afghanistan | Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harshit Rana |
What comes next
India move on to a T20I and ODI series against England once the Afghanistan tour concludes, fixtures in which Rana is already named after his recovery. For now, attention turns to Chennai, where India will look to close out the series 3-0 against an Afghanistan side still finding its footing in the 50-over format against top opposition.
