Harshit Rana Cleared to Rejoin India Squad Ahead of Final ODI Against Afghanistan

Harshit Rana's Recovery and Reintegration

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 19: Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach for India, announced that fast bowler Harshit Rana has successfully recovered from his injury after completing his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

Rana has been included in the squad for the third and final One-Day International against Afghanistan, scheduled for Saturday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. However, Doeschate indicated that it is unlikely Rana will participate in this match.

According to Doeschate, the current focus is on gradually reintroducing Rana into the team and ensuring he is physically prepared for the demanding schedule ahead over the next five to six weeks, with mental readiness to be addressed later.

“He has done significant work at the NCA and received clearance. He joined us today and appears to be fully fit. I expect he will have a practice session today, but I don't foresee him playing tomorrow. The goal is to have him around the team again; he seemed upbeat and showed no signs of lingering issues from his injury,” Doeschate shared with reporters.

“We have a substantial workload coming up in the next few weeks, so our priority is to ensure he is completely fit physically, and we will tackle the mental aspects afterward,” he added.

Rana has also been named in the squad for the upcoming T20I series in Ireland and England, where Shreyas Iyer will captain the T20I team.

Doeschate expressed confidence in spinner Kuldeep Yadav, stating that his recent performances have been commendable and not a concern. He noted that Yadav has not had consistent playing time, which can disrupt his rhythm, but the team appreciates his aggressive bowling style and views him as a valuable 'risk' or mystery spin option based on the playing conditions.

“The pitches aren't always favorable, but I thought he bowled exceptionally well the other night. He hasn't played a continuous series of matches for some time, even in Test cricket. We have no real worries about him. We always prefer to have a risk spinner or a mystery spinner, depending on the situation,” he added.

India will face Afghanistan in the final ODI in Chennai on Saturday, already leading the series 2-0.