IND vs AFG 2026: Harshit Rana makes surprise comeback to ODI squad ahead of Chennai clash

Ace pacer Harshit Rana has fully recovered from his hamstring injury and has now joined the Indian squad ahead of the third and final ODI of the ongoing series against Afghanistan. Rana had torn his hamstring during a warm-up match of the T20 World Cup 2026 and had to continue being away from the main event as well as the subsequent IPL season for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

He underwent and successfully completed his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he had spent a lot of time with the Sports & Science as well as the Medical team to get fitness clearance before taking part in high-level cricket once again. The BCCI confirmed the development via a press release on Friday.

Now that Rana is back, he is expected to walk right in to the playing XI for the third ODI, with Prince Yadav likely to sit out. Rana's incoming can also be sought as a replacement for the injured Hardik Pandya, for whom the BCCI had not named a replacement. It is understood that the board was waiting for Rana's comeback to add him to the squad ahead of naming a replacement.

The third and final ODI of the series is slated to be played at the historic venue of the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, on Saturday, June 20. The game is a dead rubber for the Indian team, as they already have a 2-0 lead in the three-match assignment. However, with Rana back to the squad, the Men in Blue will look to assert dominance over the Afghans by completing a whitewash.

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, and Harshit Rana