Bumrah declared fit for Afghanistan T20Is; Yash Thakur replaces Harshit | Cricket News

Jasprit Bumrah has been declared fit for India’s three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, providing a boost to the bowling attack ahead of the Asian Games. However, fellow fast bowler Harshit Rana has been ruled out of both assignments after suffering a fresh injury during rehabilitation, with Yash Thakur named as his replacement.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar have also received fitness clearance for the Afghanistan series, which begins in Delhi on September 13. Their inclusion in the initial squad, along with Bumrah’s, had been subject to clearance.

Why had Bumrah been out of action?

Bumrah missed the third ODI in England in July and the subsequent two Tests in Sri Lanka following a recurrence of an injury to his left knee.

Washington had suffered a hamstring injury during the England tour, while Reddy injured his quadriceps in the ODI series against Afghanistan in June. Their return gives the Shreyas Iyer-led side both pace and spin-bowling options ahead of the two assignments.

What happened to Harshit Rana?

Rana had been recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in England when he suffered another setback at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) Centre of Excellence.

He “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,” a BCCI release said on Thursday.

The injury has opened the door for Thakur to return to the T20I squad following his international debut earlier this year.

What does Yash Thakur bring to India’s attack?

The 27-year-old Vidarbha pacer took four wickets in two matches on India’s tour of Zimbabwe in July, claiming two wickets in each appearance.

Thakur also has a substantial domestic T20 record, with 81 wickets in 50 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches at an economy rate of 7.04.

He most recently represented Central Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final. Thakur took three first-innings wickets, including that of Ishan Kishan, before dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the second innings.

His IPL experience spans four seasons, with two each at Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings.

When will India play Afghanistan and begin their Asian Games campaign?

India will face Afghanistan in Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17 before the same squad travels to Japan for the Asian Games.

India’s Asian Games campaign will begin at the quarter-final stage on September 28. The semi-finals are scheduled for October 1, followed by the final on October 3.

India’s updated squad for Afghanistan T20Is and Asian Games

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.