Indian fast bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana shared a major update on his knee injury as he confirmed that he underwent surgery for the knee injury he suffered in the build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026.
Rana, an Indian regular, who was set to be part of the first-choice Playing XI for the tournament, suffered the blow during the warm-up fixture against South Africa and was ruled out of the World Cup 2026.
Rana shared a social media post to confirm his surgery as he shared an update on himself. "Surgery done right, now focused on recovery and getting back to what I love," Rana wrote in a social media post along with his picture from the hospital bed.
Mohammed Siraj replaced Rana
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed Mohammed Siraj as Rana's replacement. "Team India pacer Harshit Rana has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after sustaining a knee injury during the warm-up match against South Africa in Navi Mumbai on February 4th 2026.
"Following consultations with a specialist and subsequent scans, the BCCI medical team deemed him unfit to participate in the tournament. The team management wishes him a speedy recovery. Mohd. Siraj will join the team as Harshit’s replacement in the squad," BCCI said in a social media post.
Siraj stars in World Cup outing against the USA
Siraj was named as a replacement for Harshit Rana, who suffered a knee injury and was ruled out of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Suryakumar dialled the experienced pacer, who was surprised with the sudden call-up. He even joked to Surya to stop joking.
"When I was on the flight to here, I felt it was a dream," Siraj recalled after starring for India in their first league stage game in the World Cup. "I thought I wouldn’t be part of the World Cup. I was spending time with family. Suddenly, Surya called and said, ‘Miyan, ready ho ja, bag pack kar le.’ I told him, ‘Mazaak mat karo’ (don’t joke with me). But God is great," Siraj added.
He put up a strong performance with the ball after playing as the new-ball bowler and struck in his first over itself when he removed the dangerous Andries Gous. He dismissed Saiteja Mukkamalla in his second over before striking in the final over to end on 3/29 in his four overs. "I knew it wasn’t easy to hit against the new ball, and that’s what happened," he said about his bowling.
