Harshit Rana is back in the India squad for the third and final ODI against Afghanistan after completing rehabilitation from a knee injury that had kept him out for months. The 24-year-old fast bowler linked up with the team on Friday, a day before the series finale in Chennai.
The BCCI said Rana had finished his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, bringing him into the squad for Saturday’s match as India prepared to close out a three-match series they had already sealed 2-0. Devajit Saikia said Rana had completed his work at the COE and joined the ODI squad in Chennai, underlining that his comeback was official even before the final ball was bowled.
Rana’s return matters because it marks the end of a painful stretch that took him away from both the T20 World Cup and the Indian Premier League. He suffered a ligament strain in his right knee during India’s warm-up match against South Africa and underwent surgery in February, leaving him on the sidelines while others moved on with the season.
There is still one unresolved detail. The updated squad lists Shubman Gill as captain and Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain, but it does not say whether Rana will go straight into the playing XI for the third ODI. That leaves his comeback as a squad addition for now, with the final call due on the day India play Afghanistan in Chennai.
For Rana, the timing is unusual but useful. India have already won the series, so his return will not change the result of the contest, but it does give the squad another fast-bowling option and gives him a chance to step back into international cricket after a long absence.
