Indian national cricket team fast bowler Harshit Rana’s latest injury after returning from knee surgery has raised many eyebrows. Harshit Rana was expected to play an important role in the England tour, but he is now out due to a hamstring injury.
Now, it is being said that the 24-year-old had gained extra weight while recovering from knee surgery and this might have increased the pressure on his body while bowling. Meanwhile, Dodda Ganesh questioned Rohit Sharma’s changed batting approach.
Report claims Harshit Rana’s weight increased after rehabilitation
Harshit Rana made his comeback during the T20I leg of the UK tour. He played two T20 matches against Ireland and three against England. But during the third T20I at Trent Bridge, the youngster felt pain in his right hamstring while bowling.
Following a medical scan, the BCCI confirmed that he has suffered a Grade 1 hamstring injury, and this has ruled him out of the ongoing three-match ODI series in England.
Now, as reported by PTI, Harshit was found to be “overweight” when he joined the India national cricket team after completing his rehabilitation at the NCA in Bengaluru.
Gautam Gambhir and selectors are worried about Rana’s fitness.
However, the bigger concern for Gautam Gambhir, the team management and the national selectors is that the young fast bowler has reportedly returned with excess weight. He could reduce it during his knee rehabilitation and return to play program at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
They are concerned because Harshit is seen as a key player for India’s plans for the 2027 ICC World Cup, and this is mainly because he is a useful lower-order batsman in addition to his pace. Meanwhile, during the second ODI, there was a heated argument on the field between Shreyas Iyer and Sam Curran.
“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 batsman with a 140-click average pace. But he has to be careful about his fitness routine,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Excess body weight can increase the risk of injury
Reports suggest that body weight is very important for fast bowlers. Whenever a fast bowler comes down while bowling, there is a lot of pressure on his legs. If a bowler is carrying extra weight, the pressure becomes even greater, which can increase the risk of injuries such as hamstring tears.
The source further added, “Recently, when he joined the team, he was found to be overweight. If a player who bowls fast is found to be overweight, then obviously he may suffer a hamstring injury due to the load on the body.”
Harshit successfully completed his rehabilitation and was declared fit to play again, but he may not have been able to manage his weight properly during that period. It is also being said that another Indian top-order batsman was slightly overweight before the UK tour, but that matter was not considered serious.
Harshit Rana’s India stats
Notably, Rana has already made a strong impact with both ball and bat for India across all formats. In Test cricket, the right-arm fast bowler has played 2 matches and taken 4 wickets, with his best bowling figures being 3/48. He has also scored 77 runs with the highest score of 43.
He has played 14 ODI matches so far, in which he has taken 19 wickets. His best bowling performance in the format is 4/39, while he has scored 124 runs with a highest score of 52. In T20Is, Rana played 14 matches and took 15 wickets, with his best performance being 3/25.
