Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to be available for the Afghanistan series. The India all-rounder, one of the four conditional picks for the three T20Is because of an injury, is expected to join the Indian team in New Delhi on Thursday (September 10), unless there is a last-minute diktat from the managers of the Centre of Excellence (CoE).

Harshit Rana, however, has been ruled out of the series. Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar are the other two players whose selection for the Afghanistan series was subject to fitness.

According to sources in the know, Nitish, who had been suffering from a quadriceps injury, has one final meeting with the CoE medical team before flying out of Bengaluru on Thursday evening.

The 23-year-old Andhra all-rounder, who has been undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE for close to one and a half months, is understood to have passed the match-simulation tests. He played one match last week and two this week, and the overall assessment is that he is fit to join the team.

“He should be fine and get the all-clear from the CoE tomorrow,” said a source. “Barring a last-minute twist, he should be joining the Indian team tomorrow.”

Nitish’s stay at the CoE has been productive. He has largely focused on his bowling, and sources say he has managed to add a few yards to his speed. He last played an international in June, incidentally against Afghanistan in an ODI. He has not featured in a T20I for over 19 months.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Rana has sustained a new injury during his rehab at the CoE and is almost ruled out of the series. The nature of his new injury is not known but he has been down with a hamstring issue since the third T20I against England in July.

There is no immediate information on Bumrah. Sources say he may appear for a fitness test on Thursday, even as there are indications that Washington Sundar will get the clearance to play against Afghanistan.