India hit by double injury blow ahead of tours
India’s white-ball squads have been disrupted by injuries to fast bowler Harshit Rana and spinner Varun Chakravarthy, both sustained during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. Rana’s Grade 1 right hamstring tear rules him out of the England ODIs, while Chakravarthy’s more severe Grade 2 left hamstring injury sidelines him from the Zimbabwe T20Is. Both will undergo rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, with Chakravarthy facing a longer recovery timeline.
How the injuries could affect India’s game plan
Rana’s absence removes a pace option from India’s ODI attack in England, increasing reliance on experienced bowlers like Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. Chakravarthy’s withdrawal deprives the T20I side of a mystery spin option, a role that might have been valuable on Zimbabwe’s slower surfaces. Bishnoi’s leg-spin and Prince Yadav’s domestic pace offer different skill sets, but both have limited opportunities at the international level.
Official changes to squads
Prince Yadav has been added to the ODI squad for the England series in place of Harshit Rana, while Ravi Bishnoi comes in for Varun Chakravarthy in the T20I squad for Zimbabwe. The BCCI also previously confirmed Shivam Dube’s inclusion in the ODI squad as a replacement for Nitish Kumar Reddy. These updates were announced alongside the ongoing July fixtures across cricket and other sports.
Zimbabwe T20I squad adjustments
The Zimbabwe T20I squad features debutants Prabhsimran Singh, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, and Harsh Dubey, as well as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh were left out, with selection choices reflecting a mix of youth and returning players like Rinku Singh and Mayank Yadav. Ravi Bishnoi’s late inclusion as Chakravarthy’s replacement adds an attacking spin option to the group. – MSN