In a massive setback to Team India right ahead of the fourth T20I against England, their key bowlers Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy have been ruled out of the rest of the series.
Injured Harshit, Chakaravarthy ruled out of rest of England T20Is
BCCI took to X to confirm the development as they informed that Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy sustained hamstring injuries in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. BCCI also stated that the Medical Team has assessed them and ruled them out of the fourth and fifth T20Is.
Talking about the fourth T20I, India won the toss and elected to bat first against England, being played at Bristol on July 9.
India skipper Shreyas Iyer, after winning the toss, stated that India would be forced into making two unprompted changes to their lineup, revealing, “We’ve got two changes, two injuries actually. Varun and Harshit go out, so Washington and Prasidh come in.”
Varun’s injury woes continue
For mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, this latest physical setback breaks a fragile cycle of recovery. Having played through the final stages of the IPL with a fractured toe, he had recently taken a brief sabbatical to Sri Lanka alongside his Tamil Nadu teammates to recuperate. His absence during the subsequent tour of Ireland proved catastrophic, as India slumped to an unprecedented 2-0 series defeat against the Irish. While his return for the England tour was meant to stabilize the bowling unit, his immediate departure from the playing eleven leaves Iyer completely exposed, especially with India fighting for survival at 2-0 down in the five-match series.
Another heartbreak for Harshit Rana
Meanwhile, the injury to Rana marks yet another devastating chapter in the young pacer's recent career. Rana's wretched run of luck began earlier this year when a severe knee injury required surgery, cruelly tearing him away from India’s T20 World Cup squad and forcing him to sit out the entire Indian Premier League season. Having finally grinded his way back into the national setup during the Ireland series, this sudden breakdown stalls his international comeback just as he was regaining his rhythm.
India (Playing XI):
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
England (Playing XI):
Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue