ENG vs IND 2026: Why is Harshit Rana not playing in 4th T20I?

India will be looking to secure a win to stay in the series when they take on England in the fourth T20I at the County Ground in Bristol on Thursday, July 9. The hosts are currently 2-0 and are in a position where they cannot lose the series anymore. 

England secured an emphatic 125-run victory over India at Trent Bridge in the previous encounter, bundling the defending 20-over champions out for just 76. 

ENG vs IND: Toss update

India once again called the toss correctly, with captain Shreyas Iyer opting to bat first on this occasion. The right-handed batter stated that the pitch had a hint of grass, something which they will be wary of whilst setting up a target. He also claimed that the mood in the camp is high as India prepare to play in this must-win game.

England captain Harry Brook, meanwhile, also wanted to bat first had he won the toss. 

ENG vs IND: India make two changes, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy out injured

India were forced into making two changes to their lineup, with both Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy missing out due to injuries. The team have replaced the pair with Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar, thus extending their batting lineup.

England, on the other hand, have also made one change, replacing Liam Dawson with yet another spin-bowling all-rounder in Rehan Ahmed. 

ENG vs IND: What did the captains say?

Shreyas Iyer, Indian captain

"Yeah, we would have won the toss and batted. Looks a very good surface. Like Shreyas said, there's a nice even spread of grass, so we'll see how it plays. (You'd be mighty pleased with the performance in the last game. Very clinical and very professional.) Yeah, we played awesome. We adapted well to conditions, we communicated really well, and it was a very, very good team performance. (All round, now this becomes an important game. You win here, you win the series.) Yeah, that'd be lovely. It'd be lovely to come into the third game that we've managed to finish and win the series. So, we'll see how it goes tonight, but I think more of the same as the other night, really. Adapt to the conditions as well as you can, communicate well, and back ourselves. (Always good to see when seven, eight players are performing game after game.) Yeah, that's the beauty, the side that we've picked, really. We've got so many good players in the eleven, and everybody can contribute in different ways, whether that's with the bat, ball, or in the field. (Any changes in your side for today?) Yeah, Rehan Ahmed comes in for Liam Dawson."

Harry Brook, England captain

"We're going to bat first. (must-win game now..) Certainly, and we are going to play like that. We saw the fearlessness which we've been carrying for the first two games. It's just that we are not able to execute the plans as much as possible, but today, it's a fresh day, fresh start, and the boys are in pretty high spirits. (Last game is history. Have to start afresh today?) Absolutely, but when you say positive, you have to read the environment and have that sort of awareness about how the game is going. You need to adapt as quickly as possible to the wicket and where the wind is blowing. So, all these things, tactically, you've got to be up to your mark. And I think if these things are sorted, definitely you get the results. (And what do you make of the surface?) It looks good. It has got a decent amount of grass over the wicket. So, definitely we'll have a look how it plays from the first ball. (And any changes in your side now that you're batting first?) We've got two changes, two injuries actually. Varun and Harshit go out, so Washington and Prasidh comes in."

ENG vs IND: Playing XIs

India:

Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

England:

Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Harry Brook (C), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue