​The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Sunday that the national squads for the forthcoming England and Zimbabwe series have been revised due to injuries to Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy. Fast bowler Prince Yadav has been drafted into the squad for India’s ODI series against England, replacing Harshit Rana, who has been ruled out with a hamstring issue. Simultaneously, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been included in India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe later this month, taking the place of Varun Chakravarthy. Bishnoi was not part of the initial selection for the Zimbabwe T20I series but has been added after it was confirmed that Chakravarthy would require more time to recover from a hamstring injury that also kept him out of the final two T20Is against England.
Bishnoi had featured in the first two matches of India’s five-match T20I series in England. The opening game was washed out by rain, so India did not bowl, but in the second T20I at Old Trafford, Bishnoi conceded 60 runs in his four overs. His performance included three back-foot no-balls and allowed two sixes and a four from the resulting free-hits. With Chakravarthy sidelined, Varun will now focus on his rehabilitation and recovery, reporting to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for further assessment. Harshit Rana will also join him at the CoE after sustaining a hamstring injury that has ruled him out of the three-match ODI series against England.
Chakravarthy had only recently returned to action during the T20I series in Ireland before participating in the first two T20Is against England. The latest hamstring injury marks another setback for him, following a fractured left toe sustained during the later stages of IPL 2026. He played through the toe injury before missing the T20I series against Afghanistan and Ireland while recovering at the CoE. On the field in England, Chakravarthy also struggled for form, taking just one wicket while conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.28.
India has now updated its squads as follows. For the England ODIs, the lineup features Shubman Gill as captain, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli providing experienced support at the top and in the middle order, respectively. Shreyas Iyer has been designated as vice-captain for these matches, and KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan are named as wicketkeeper options in the squad. The all-rounders Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, along with Shivam Dube, add depth to India’s batting and bowling options. In the bowling department, India will rely on a pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, with Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Gurnoor Brar providing additional seam options. The spin department will be reinforced by Kuldeep Yadav, while Prince Yadav’s inclusion adds pace variety to the limited-overs setup.
For the Zimbabwe T20Is, the updated squad is led by Shreyas Iyer as captain, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain. The batting lineup features Ishan Kishan as the designated wicketkeeper, accompanied by Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and a supporting cast that includes Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur, and Mayank Yadav. Ravi Bishnoi has been included to bolster the spin department and provide a leg-spin option that could prove valuable in the T20 format. Prabhsimran Singh remains among the chosen wicketkeeper-batsmen for the Zimbabwe series, complementing Kishan’s role behind the stumps.
These changes underscore India’s proactive approach to managing injuries and ensuring that the squads retain both depth and balance across formats. With Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy unavailable for the near term, the selectors have acted decisively to bring in capable replacements who can contribute immediately, while also enabling a longer-term plan for player recovery and team development. The BCCI’s decision to move both players to the Centre of Excellence for continued assessment and rehabilitation reflects a structured approach to player welfare and return-to-play protocols. Fans and analysts will be watching closely to see how Prince Yadav adapts to the ODI format against England and how Ravi Bishnoi performs in the T20I arena against Zimbabwe, especially given the broader implications for India’s squad selection heading into future bilateral series and global tournaments.