Yash Thakur replaces injured Harshit Rana in India squad for Afghanistan T20Is and Asian Games 2026

Vidarbha speedster Yash Thakur was named the replacement for the injured Harshit Rana in the India squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan as well as the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

"The fast bowler was progressing well during his rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE).

"He sustained a rectus femoris strain while bowling during a match simulation on September 7 and has subsequently been ruled out," an official BCCI statement said on Thursday.

The injury is another setback for Rana, who had previously suffered a hamstring injury during India's third T20I against England at Trent Bridge in July. The injury ruled him out of India's subsequent assignments, and he was later included in the squad for the Afghanistan series subject to fitness clearance.

Thakur returns to India squad

Thakur now returns to the India setup after making his T20I debut during the team's tour of Zimbabwe in July.

The right-arm pacer was handed his maiden India cap in the second T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on July 25. He took 2/30 in four overs as India won the match by 90 runs and secured the series.

He also featured in the third T20I against Zimbabwe, taking another two wickets as India completed a 3-0 series victory.

Before his international debut, Thakur had established himself as a regular wicket-taker in domestic T20 cricket. He has taken 114 wickets from 76 T20 matches, including five four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls.

India's three-match T20I series against Afghanistan will be played in Delhi on 13, 15 and 17 September. Afghanistan are the designated hosts for the bilateral series, despite all three matches being played in India.

The Indian team will then travel to Japan for the Asian Games. India are scheduled to play a historic T20I against Japan on 22 September before beginning their Asian Games campaign. The men's cricket competition is part of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, with India entering the tournament as the defending champions.

India's updated squad for T20I series vs Afghanistan: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson [WK], Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.

India's updated squad for Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson [WK], Ishan Kishan [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.