Cricket / Yash Thakur Replaces Injured Harshit Rana for Afghanistan T20Is, Asian Games

New Delhi, Sept 10: India drafted in pacer Yash Thakur as a replacement for the injured Harshit Rana in both the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed on Thursday.

Rana, who was included in the Afghanistan squad subject to fitness, sustained a rectus femoris strain while bowling during a match simulation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on September 7. Despite making progress in his rehab, the injury has sidelined him from both assignments.

The 22-year-old has endured a difficult year with multiple injuries. He missed the T20 World Cup 2026 due to a knee injury, underwent surgery, and sat out the IPL season. His comeback in June was short-lived as he picked up a hamstring issue during the England tour in July, before this latest setback.

Yash Thakur, meanwhile, returns to the fold after being left out of the original Afghanistan squad. The Vidarbha pacer made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in July, impressing with two wickets apiece in his two outings. His inclusion strengthens India’s pace attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, with Bumrah’s participation also subject to fitness clearance.
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India will face Afghanistan in New Delhi on September 13, 15, and 17 before heading to the Asian Games, where their campaign begins with a quarter-final on September 28.

Updated India Squad for Afghanistan T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.

India Squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur.

(With inputs from IANS)