New Delhi: fast bowler Harshit Rana has been added to the squad for the third and final ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai after completing his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence (CoE).
Rana has recovered from the knee injury and joined the Indian team for the last ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, June 20.
He had been ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 after suffering a knee injury during India’s warm-up game against South Africa in Navi Mumbai. The 24-year-old also missed IPL 2026 for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
It remains to be seen whether Rana will feature in the third ODI. He has already been included in India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England later this month. The team management views Rana as a backup to Hardik Pandya and is keen on developing him alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy as part of India’s plan for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The Men in Blue have already secured the three-match series after winning the first two ODIs. India won the first ODI by 7 wickets in Dharamshala and the second by 170 runs in Lucknow. The hosts have outperformed Afghanistan with both bat and ball, with several young players, including Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey, making strong impressions.
With a busy international calendar ahead, including the UK tour and the Asian Games, the team management could rest a few senior players and provide opportunities to other members of the squad in the last ODI.
Updated India squad for the third ODI against Afghanistan
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harshit Rana.