Team India pacer Harshit Rana is set to join the squad ahead of the third and final ODI against Afghanistan, scheduled to be held on Saturday, June 20, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The right-arm bowler has been out of action for several months now due to a knee injury, causing him to miss the T20 World Cup 2026 and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign.
Harshit Rana last featured in the T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai. He required surgery to repair the injury and had a lengthy layoff before being recently named in Team India’s T20I squads for the Ireland and England tour.
However, the 24-year-old could avail some game time before the overseas tour as the team management have reportedly asked him to join the ODI squad ahead of the series finale. The Men in Blue need reinforcements after a late injury to star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The current squad has Nitish Kumar Reddy as the seam bowling all-rounder, along with specialists like Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, and Prince Yadav.
“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 source told the Times of India.
Team India will kick-start a crucial phase for the run to the ODI World Cup 2027, with the series opener against Afghanistan on Saturday, June 13, at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
Harshit Rana has featured regularly in ODI cricket since his debut in 2025
The Delhi cricketer had made his debut in the home ODI series in early 2025, before being named in the Champions Trophy 2025 squad as well. Amid the team’s focus on the T20 World Cup 2026 and Hardik Pandya’s injury concerns, Harshit Rana got a decent run in the team, featuring in each of India’s last three ODI series.
He has had a solid start to his career in the format, bagging 26 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 27.38 and an economy of 6.22.
Edited by Gokul Nair
