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India suffered a major setback to their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign when fast bowler Harshit Rana was declared unfit to play at the tournament. The Indian Express received confirmation from sources that selectors will announce Mohammed Siraj as his replacement at some point during the evening.

 

Rana suffered from an injury that team management learned about on Thursday night. Suryakumar Yadav who serves as India’s T20 captain first claimed that the pacer had not been ruled out but sources later confirmed that Rana would miss the World Cup due to his injury.

 

The team faces a tough situation because their World Cup campaign begins with a match against USA during this injury period.

 

Suryakumar Yadav Reacts to Rana’s Injury

 

Suryakumar Yadav stated during the pre-match press conference that the team was monitoring Ranas fitness but the current status of his health showed no signs of improvement.

 

Surya said:

 

“Harshit Rana hasn’t been ruled out yet, physios are assessing him but he doesn’t look good.”

 

Indian captain showed confidence in his squad depth when he accepted the challenge of replacing Rana but he believed that this would impact their performance.

 

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He added:

 

“The combination we need between the 15 players gets a major hit when he is absent. We will definitely miss him. We have enough options and we will pick the best fast bowler available.”

 

How the Injury Happened

 

Rana picked up the injury during India’s warm-up match against South Africa. The Delhi pacer experienced discomfort during his run-up when he stopped twice in one over.

 

He exited the field while limping after he showed knee pain. He bowled only one over during the match before he had to leave because of his condition while giving up 16 runs.

 

The incident prompted immediate concern from team officials because later assessments revealed that he would not reach tournament fitness.

 

Siraj Set to Return to World Cup Squad

 

Mohammed Siraj will replace Rana who received a ruling that he cannot play in the match. Siraj brings experience to his role because he combines pace and control which he used successfully in major tournaments.

 

His new ball swinging ability creates death bowling possibilities which India can use to balance their bowling attack for the World Cup opener.

 

India will now hope that Siraj can step in smoothly as they aim for a strong start to their T20 World Cup campaign.