31-year-old star to replace the injured Harshit Rana from India's squad for T20 World Cup: Report

India pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to joint tenderness and his official replacement is yet to be announced. This is a nothing short of a massive blow for the Men in Blue as Harshit had been a regular in the team's T20I set-up and had been in decent form as well. However, he is now all but ruled out from the tournament.

According to a report by The Indian Express, India are likely to name Mohammed Siraj as Harshit's replacement. This could see Siraj make his long return to T20Is as he had last made his last appearance in the format in July, 2024. He hasn't gotten many chances under Gautam Gambhir and has been completely sidelined from the format. However, he could end up making his return to the squad for the World Cup.

Suryakumar on Harshit's replacement

When asked about Harshit's replacement, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav had also said that their priority will be to replace him with a proper bowler rather than an all-rounder. He also expressed confidence in the team's bowling attack to deliver the goods in the tournament.

"We have the XI for tomorrow. It is a blow because when we pick a squad we think about combinations. But we still have enough players and combinations. Will be a blow if he is out. Will see who are the fast bowlers who has been bowling well in the last one or two years. May be someone who can bat as well but that’s not a priority because we don’t expect a bowler to bat down at that number because what will the other batters do then," Suryakumar said in the pre-match press-conference.

Siraj's numbers in T20Is

Siraj does have a decent bit of experience when it comes to T20Is and has played 16 matches in the format so far. He has clinched a total of 14 wickets in the format so far and will be aiming to take many more if he does get the chance in India's playing XI for the T20 World Cup.

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Meanwhile, India will begin their campaign with the clash against USA on February 7 that will be played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. They are then set to face Namibia on February 12 and their third match of the tournament is scheduled to be against Pakistan on February 15, but they have decided to boycott the game. The Men in Blue will conclude their group stage with the encounter against Netherlands on February 18.