India Face Fresh Injury Blow Ahead of Afghanistan T20Is; Key Pacer Doubtful, Bumrah Comeback on Track

Jasprit Bumrah appears set to make his long-awaited India comeback in the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, while pacer Harshit Rana is likely to miss the three-match assignment due to a hamstring injury.

Four of the 15 players named in the BCCI squad for the series have been marked as “subject to fitness clearance”. According to a PTI report, Rana is the only one among the four who is unlikely to recover in time for the series, which begins in New Delhi on September 13.

Harshit Rana Unlikely to Be Fit

Rana last played for India in the T20I series against England in July before suffering a hamstring injury. He was selected for both the Afghanistan T20Is and the upcoming Asian Games, with India scheduled to leave for the Games on September 20.

However, his recovery is reportedly taking longer than expected.

“He has not yet fully recovered from his hamstring injury. He will need more time,” a BCCI source said.

Bumrah, Nitish Kumar Reddy on Track for Comebacks

Bumrah, meanwhile, is on course to return to India’s T20I side after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the ODI series in England in July.

The pacer had missed India’s Test tour of Sri Lanka after failing to regain full fitness in time, prompting criticism of the Centre of Excellence (CoE).

All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been recovering from a quadriceps injury, is also expected to return against Afghanistan.

“Both Bumrah and Reddy are on track for their comeback,” the BCCI source said.

India’s Busy Schedule Ahead

Following the Afghanistan series, India are scheduled to play a one-off match against Japan in Tokyo on September 22 before beginning their Asian Games campaign on September 28.

The recent injury concerns have also brought renewed scrutiny on the CoE, which has been without a head of sports science since Nitin Patel left around 18 months ago.

However, CoE head VVS Laxman has emphasised that the facility is not simply a rehabilitation centre for injured cricketers.

VVS Laxman Explains CoE Recovery Process

Laxman said players undergo a structured assessment involving the sports science and medical teams before progressing through rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, and skills-based work.

“The whole idea is that when he goes back to the Indian team, men and women, or wherever, including the state teams, he has to be up and running and from the first match, he has been able to perform to the best of his potential,” Laxman said.

He also cautioned against treating recovery timelines as fixed, pointing out that every player’s body responds differently.

“It’s an objective way of assessing the player to move from one stage to the next stage,” Laxman said. “The guidelines and the timelines are given based on what you expect. But it’s the human body. It is not a machine where the timelines will always be met.”