Harshit Rana missed out on making his India debut and becoming a capped player as he was forced to miss the 3rd T20I against Bangladesh due to viral fever. On the eve of the game, India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate seemingly confirmed a debut for Harshit. But the right-arm pacer did not travel with the team due to a viral infection.

Harshit remained uncapped again, which means that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) can retain him for Rs 4 crore. Under the IPL rules, a player who remains uncapped till October 31, 2024, can be retained for Rs 4 crore. Harshit earned his maiden India call-up for the Zimbabwe series but didn't get a chance.

Harshit remained on the bench in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. The 22-year-old was set to become a capped player in the final T20I against Bangladesh but missed out. While it's sort of confirmed that Harshit will remain uncapped till October 31, there is a slight chance of him making his India debut before that and becoming a capped player.

Harshit will not be released by Team India and he will travel with the Test squad. In its release, the BCCI named Harshit, Mayank Yadav, Nitish Reddy and Prasidh Krishna as four travelling reserves for the New Zealand series.

All four players are in the scheme of things and they can get their chance if Team India needs a replacement player. Of course, Prasidh is ahead of Harshit in the pecking order but nothing can be confirmed.

The selectors can also add Harshit or Mayank in the Test squad if India need a replacement player. If this happens, then Harshit can become a capped player before the IPL 2025 retention date.

The first India-New Zealand Test match is scheduled to be played from October 16 to 20 in Bengaluru. The second Test will be played in Pune from October 24 to 28. Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium will host the third and final Test of the series from November 1 to 5.

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