Harshit Rana Ruled Out, Yash Thakur Gets Double Call-Up for Afghanistan T20Is and Asian Games
Thakur’s inclusion, however, is not limited to the Afghanistan T20I series. The pacer has also been added to India’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games, making the latest change relevant to two separate campaigns.
XtraTime Webdesk: India have made another change to their squads for the upcoming Afghanistan T20Is and the 2026 Asian Games, with Yash Thakur replacing Harshit Rana after the pacer was ruled out due to injury.
The latest alteration once again puts the spotlight on the injury concerns surrounding Indian players. Previously, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan, Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar were on the list of injured players. The challenges that come with maintaining a settled squad ahead of multiple assignments are rising rapidly. While injuries are a common part of professional sport, a packed and continuous schedule can put additional physical strain on players, leaving them vulnerable at a time when they are expected to move from one important assignment to another. For India, the repeated injury-related changes are beginning to raise concerns over squad stability, as players may not always get enough time to fully recover before the next challenge arrives. Harshit Rana’s latest replacement is another reminder of how quickly plans can change when fitness becomes a concern.
Thakur’s inclusion, however, is not limited to the Afghanistan T20I series. The pacer has also been added to India’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games, making the latest change relevant to two separate campaigns.
India’s updated squad for the Afghanistan T20Is is: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur.
The Asian Games squad sees a similar combination, with Sooryavanshi and Thakur now part of the group after the latest update.
India’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games is: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yash Thakur.
The change means India will have to move forward with another adjustment to their original plans. With both the Afghanistan series and Asian Games forming part of the team’s upcoming schedule, keeping the squad fit and settled will remain an important challenge.