Harshit Rana likely to miss Afghanistan T20I; The Asian Games are also in jeopardy

NEW DELHI: Harshit Rana’s return to international cricket will take some time as the fast bowler injured himself during a simulated match as part of the Return to Play (RTP) protocol on Tuesday. Obviously, the injury is not looking good at the moment and has put a big question mark over his participation in the Afghanistan T20I and the upcoming Asian Games.Harshit Rana suffered a hamstring injury in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge earlier this year.Rana injured his knee during India’s warm-up match against South Africa in preparation for the 2026 Men’s Under-20 World Cup and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament. He then underwent surgery and also missed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).After completing his rehabilitation, Rana was added to the Indian squad for the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai on 20 June.As reported by TOI.com earlier, Nitish Kumar Reddy received the all-clear and Washington Sundar also ticked the right boxes. As for Jasprit Bumrah, it is expected to be clear before the team comes together to start preparations.India will face Afghanistan in three T20Is on September 13, 15 and 17. Although the matches are played in Delhi, Afghanistan is the official host of the bilateral series.The Indian team will fly to the Asian Games from Delhi on September 18. Before the start of the Asian Games, Team India will also face Japan on September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.