Concerns regarding Harshit Rana’s training routine have been aroused by his hamstring injury in his maiden series following knee surgery. According to reliable sources, the powerful fast bowler gained weight during his recuperation, which likely contributed to the most recent breakdown.
The 24-year-old Rana played just five Twenty20 matches, two against Ireland and three against England, before being pulled out due to a hamstring injury when it was discovered that he was “overweight” during his comeback for the T20I part of the UK tour.
“Rana reported a sudden onset of discomfort in his right hamstring during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. Subsequent scans revealed a Grade 1 hamstring injury,” the BCCI had stated in the release which ruled him out of the three-match ODI series where he was supposed to play a very vital role.
The national selection committee and Gautam Gambhir’s team management must be concerned about why the fast bowler added extra kilograms on his comeback when he should have been able to do so during his knee rehabilitation and subsequent “Return To Play” procedures at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
“Harshit is a very important member of this team going into the 2027 World Cup. He is being looked at as a potential number eight batter along with his 140 click average speed. But he has to be mindful about his fitness routine,” a BCCI source said on conditions of anonymity.
“Recently, when he joined the team he was found to be overweight. For someone, who bowls fast, if that player is found to be overweight then obviously the load on the body can lead to hamstring tear,” the source further said.
Rana’s ailment is a blatant sign that, although receiving a fitness certificate upon successfully completing his rehabilitation program following knee surgery, he neglected to fully focus on weight management, which can be a challenging problem during protracted injury layoffs.
A fast bowler may encounter braking forces up to six or eight times their body weight during the bowling delivery stride and load up. This force is greatly increased by additional kilograms, severely straining the hamstring muscles.
When the squad started its tour of the United Kingdom, it was discovered that another T20 specialist top-order batsman was slightly overweight.
Varun Chakaravarthy was one of India’s best players heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup because of his impressive performance in the run-up to the big event, but batters from all of the main teams now appear to have read him from the wrist.
He didn’t receive any bonus points for playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders during the IPL despite having a fractured toe, and because his recovery wasn’t finished, he had to skip the T20I tour’s Ireland leg. But during the UK tour, Chakaravarthy’s hamstring snapped after just three games.
“An MRI scan subsequently revealed a Grade 2 hamstring injury. Based on specialist medical advice, he has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe,” the BCCI release had stated.
As a result, there were worries that Chakaravarthy, who would turn 35 next month, would return to competition before being fully recovered.
Chakaravarthy was extremely fortunate to have a look-in because the Asian Games team had to be named within a certain amount of time.
However, Chakaravarthy would already be 37 when the 2028 Olympics and T20 World Cup in Australia begin, and there’s a good chance he won’t be considered past this year’s Asian Games.
