Bristol, July 9 (IANS) In a major blow to the Indian team, seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana and wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy have been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing T20I series against England due to hamstring injuries.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the development shortly after the toss for the crucial fourth T20I at the County Ground, with India electing to bat first in a must-win clash.

“Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy sustained hamstring injuries in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. The BCCI Medical Team has assessed them and ruled them out of the 4th and 5th T20Is,” said the BCCI in an official statement.

Rana recently returned to the setup after a knee injury requiring surgery kept him out of the victorious T20 World Cup campaign and IPL 2026. Chakaravarthy, meanwhile, had missed the 2-0 T20I series defeat in Ireland due to foot injury rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

In the duo’s absence, pacer Prasidh Krishna and off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar have found their way back into the playing eleven for the fourth game. The injury setback also means that Rana is likely to be out of the subsequent three-match ODI series against England, starting on July 14.

In his potential absence, India’s playing eleven balance will go for a toss, especially with Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy unavailable due to leg and quadriceps injuries, respectively.

Fast bowler Prince Yadav, who has been a bright spot for India on the ongoing tour, will be in the frame to be his replacement in the Shubman Gill-led ODI team. Following the series opener at Edgbaston in Birmingham, India and England will play further ODI games in Cardiff (July 16) and Lord’s (July 19).

–IANS

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