Report: India Pacer Released From Squad Ahead of Second Test against England, Here’s Why | Cricket News
India has released pacer Harshit Rana from the Test squad ahead of the second match of the Five-Test-series against England as per a report from Times of India. Rana was earlier called up as as a precautionary measure for the team considering it a long tour. But reports suggest that he didn’t board the bus to Birmingham that had Shubman Gill led all of the other teammates. The squad departed around 11:30 am local time and is expected to reach Birmingham in over three hours.
The team will rest for the next two days and then resume their hard toil for the next game.
“I haven’t spoken to the chairman selector; I will speak to the chairman of selectors because there was a bit of a niggle in the group. That is why we wanted him as a backup. But at the moment, everything looks fine, so if everyone is fine , he would have to fly back.” Gambhir earlier on Rana in the post-match press conference.
Prime Reason For Release
Acoording to Gambhir’s PC it can be concluded that Rana was just kept as a precaution for one of the fast bowlers having niggle, India feared that they may be unavailable when the time comes and Rana could be an ideal replacement but now when the bowlers have recovered, Rana has been released. Notably, Rana’s inclusion over Anshul Kamboj who had a stellar performance in the A games drew a lot of criticism and fans even called him Gambhir qouta. The 23-year-old speedster, who had earlier featured in two Tests in Australia with limited success, did not travel with the team to Birmingham for the second Test.
Rana was part of the India A squad but struggled to make an impression in the unofficial Test against England Lions at Canterbury, conceding 99 runs for just one wicket across 27 overs.
“Harshit Rana has been released from the squad. He hasn’t travelled with the Indian squad to Birmingham for the second Test starting July 4,” a BCCI source told PTI, requesting anonymity.
England Stunned India
Known for his sharp pace and ability to hit the deck hard, Rana made headlines earlier with a standout delivery — an off-cutter that bowled out Travis Head in Perth. He is also considered a protégé of current head coach Gautam Gambhir. Following their five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Headingley, Shubman Gill’s Indian team is taking a short two-day break before resuming training for the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2.
Despite piling up a combined total of 835 runs across both innings featuring five centuries India couldn’t defend their target. It marked a rare moment in Test history where a team, despite boasting five individual hundreds, ended up on the losing side.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant all reached the three-figure mark during the match. However, England mounted a spirited chase, reaching the 371-run target on the final day. Ben Duckett led the charge with a fiery 149, ably supported by Zak Crawley and Joe Root. The contest also set a new benchmark, with both sides combining for a record-breaking 1,673 runs , the highest-ever aggregate in a Test match between India and England. India will now regroup and aim for a comeback in the second match of the five-Test series, set to begin on July 2 at Edgbaston.
