India Adds Harshit Rana to ODI Squad After Knee Surgery Recovery Fast bowler Harshit Rana has been included in India's squad for the third One-Day International (ODI) against Afghanistan in Chennai on June 20, marking his return to international cricket following a prolonged injury absence. The decision comes after Rana completed his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and rejoined the ODI squad in Chennai. His absence from the sport since February 2026 was due to a knee injury sustained during India's warm-up match against South Africa ahead of the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup. The injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament and subsequently miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 with his franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders. In a statement released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it was confirmed that Rana had "completed his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence" and had "linked up with the ODI squad in Chennai." Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate provided insight into Rana's current condition, stating, "I have seen him for five minutes on the bus and I'm going to spin a story like I know exactly what is going on (laughs). But he has put a body of work in at NCA, he has got the clearance to NCA, he has obviously joined us here today." Ten Doeschate emphasized that Rana appeared fully fit, with no visible signs of lingering injury issues. However, the coach noted that Rana would not be available for the upcoming match against Afghanistan, stating, "I cannot see any shape of him playing tomorrow, but obviously he comes to Ireland next week as well." The assistant coach highlighted the importance of Rana's return, particularly for the T20 series against Ireland in the following weeks.#t20_world_cup_2026 #kolkata_knight_riders #afghanistan #harshit_rana #bcci_centre_of_excellence
