Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana ruled out of England T20I series with hamstring injuries

India have been dealt a major setback as Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana have been ruled out of the remainder of the T20I series against England due to hamstring injuries. The development was confirmed by both captain Shreyas Iyer and the BCCI. Iyer also announced that Washington Sundar and Prasidh Krishna will replace the injured duo for the fourth T20I.

Varun had only recently returned to the Indian setup after missing the T20I series against Ireland. Despite playing through a fractured toe during the closing stages of the IPL, the mystery spinner had taken a short break in Sri Lanka with a few of his Tamil Nadu teammates before rejoining the national side. India, without Varun, suffered a 2-0 series defeat in Ireland, their first-ever T20I series loss to the hosts.

His latest injury comes as another blow for India, who are already trailing 0-2 in the five-match series against England. With only two matches remaining, Iyer's side faces a must-win situation to keep the contest alive.

“Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy sustained hamstring injuries in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. The BCCI Medical Team has assessed them and ruled them out of the 4th and 5th T20Is,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“We’ve got two changes, two injuries actually. Varun and Harshit go out, so Washington and Prasidh comes in,” Iyer said at the toss.

We want to be part of more Test matches: Harmanpreet

For Rana, the injury marks another frustrating setback. The pacer had earlier been ruled out of India's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup due to a knee injury that required surgery. He also missed the entire Indian Premier League season before making his return during the T20I series against Ireland.

India head into the fourth T20I on the back of a crushing 125-run defeat to England at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, their heaviest-ever loss while chasing in T20Is. Chasing 202, the visitors were bundled out for just 76, registering their fourth defeat in five matches since winning the 2026 T20 World Cup. The only game they have avoided defeat in during that period was the rain-abandoned opening T20I of the ongoing series.