Team India suffer double injury blow as two stars are ruled out of England T20I Series

India’s hopes of staging a comeback in the T20I series against England have taken another hit after two important members of the squad were ruled out with injuries. The development comes ahead of the crucial fourth T20I, forcing the team management to make changes to the playing XI at a time when India are fighting to stay alive in the series.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy will play no further part in the ongoing T20I series after both suffered hamstring injuries during the third T20I at Trent Bridge.

“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,” the BCCI said in an official statement.

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The announcement came shortly after the toss for the fourth T20I at the County Ground, where India opted to bat first in a must-win encounter.

Fresh setback after recent comeback

The injury is another frustrating blow for Harshit Rana, who had only recently returned to international cricket after recovering from a knee injury that forced him to miss both the 2026 IPL season and India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign.

Varun Chakaravarthy, meanwhile, had only just made his comeback after missing the T20I series against Ireland while recovering from a foot injury at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar return

With Rana and Chakaravarthy unavailable, India have recalled Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar to the playing XI for the fourth T20I against England.

The double injury blow also raises concerns ahead of the upcoming three-match ODI series, which begins on July 14. Rana is also likely to miss that series as well and that adds to the selection dilemma for the Indian team management.

India’s ODI plans face fresh challenge

If Rana is unavailable for the ODI series, India’s bowling combination could be further weakened, especially with Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy already sidelined due to leg and quadriceps injuries respectively.

Young fast bowler Prince Yadav, who has impressed during the England tour, is now among the leading contenders to replace Rana in the ODI squad led by Shubman Gill.

After the opening ODI at Edgbaston in Birmingham, the remaining matches of the series will be played in Cardiff on July 16 and at Lord’s on July 19.

India will now hope the latest injury setbacks do not derail their plans any further as they look to stay alive in the T20I series before shifting focus to the 50-over contests against England.