India Faces Injury Setbacks Ahead of Upcoming Series
India’s plans for white-ball cricket have taken a hit recently, as two key bowlers suffered injuries during their last T20 International match against England at Trent Bridge. Fast bowler Harshit Rana and spinner Varun Chakaravarthy both reported hamstring problems, leading the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to announce replacements. Prince Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi will join the squad for the upcoming games in England and Zimbabwe.
The injuries occurred during a tough third T20I in Nottingham. Rana felt sudden pain in his right hamstring, and scans revealed a Grade 1 hamstring tear, ruling him out of the upcoming three-match One-Day International series against England. He will return to India for rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Chakaravarthy faced a similar challenge during the same match, suffering discomfort in his left hamstring. His MRI results indicated a more serious Grade 2 hamstring injury. Following medical advice, he has also been withdrawn from the T20I tour of Zimbabwe and will head to the Centre of Excellence for recovery.
The selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, acted quickly to address these gaps. Prince Yadav has been named as Rana’s replacement in the ODI squad against England. Yadav recently impressed selectors with his performance, picking up 16 wickets for the Lucknow Super Giants during the IPL and participating in the recent ODIs and T20s.
Ravi Bishnoi steps in for Chakaravarthy in the T20Is in Zimbabwe, just days after being dropped from the playing XI for the third T20I against England due to a disappointing outing at Old Trafford.
These squad changes come at a crucial time. Led by Shubman Gill and featuring experienced players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India will aim to quickly find their footing before the first ODI match at Edgbaston. Shreyas Iyer will serve as vice-captain for the ODI series before taking over as captain for the T20Is in Zimbabwe later this month.
India is eager to bounce back after their recent losses in the UK. England completed a 4-0 series win over India, pushing them down in the T20I rankings.
Updated India Squad for England ODIs:
Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.
Updated India Squad for Zimbabwe T20Is:
Shreyas Iyer (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (VC), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Ravi Bishnoi.
England vs India ODI Schedule:
- 1st ODI in Birmingham on July 14
- 2nd ODI in Cardiff on July 16
- 3rd ODI in London on July 19
Zimbabwe vs India T20I Schedule:
- 1st T20I on July 23
- 2nd T20I on July 25
- 3rd T20I on July 26
All T20I matches will take place in Harare.
