India pacer Harshit Rana is set to miss the upcoming Afghanistan T20I series and the Asian Games 2026 as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Rana picked up the injury during India’s white-ball tour of the UK and was later named in the squad for the Afghanistan series, with his selection subject to fitness.

However, The Daily Jagran has learnt from BCCI sources that the pacer is unlikely to recover in time for the three-match series, which begins on September 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

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Rana Needs More Time To Recover

A BCCI source close to the development told The Daily Jagran that Rana has not fully recovered from his hamstring problem and will need more time before returning to competitive cricket.

“He has not yet fully recovered from his hamstring injury. He will need more time,” the source said.

Rana was one of four players in India’s Afghanistan squad whose participation was subject to fitness. The other three were Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar.

While Rana is set to miss the series, Bumrah, Reddy and Sundar have been cleared to play.

Bumrah, Reddy Cleared For Afghanistan Series

Bumrah has been out of action since India’s ODI tour of England in July after suffering a left knee injury. Nitish Reddy, meanwhile, has been recovering from a quadriceps injury.

Both players are now on course to make their returns against Afghanistan.

“Both Bumrah and Reddy are on track for their comeback,” the source added.

The three-match T20I series against Afghaistan will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium from September 13.

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India’s Asian Games Campaign

After the Afghanistan series, India are scheduled to play a one-off match against Japan in Tokyo on September 22.

India will then begin their Asian Games 2026 campaign on September 28.

Rana’s latest injury setback means he is now set to miss both the Afghanistan series and the Asian Games, with the pacer expected to focus on completing his recovery before returning to action.

India squad for Afghanistan series

Shreyas Iyer [Captain], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson [WK], Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [Vice Captain], Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana*.

India squad for Asian Games 2026

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

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