India’s young pacer Harshit Rana has been officially released from the national squad ahead of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, set to begin on July 4 in Birmingham. The decision comes after India’s five-wicket defeat to England in the series opener.
Rana, 23, was initially part of the India A squad for the two first-class games against England Lions earlier this month. Despite a modest performance—one wicket for 99 runs in 27 overs—he was later added to the senior squad as the 19th member for the Leeds Test. His inclusion was reportedly due to a minor injury concern within the main squad and is also believed to have been influenced by head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has shown strong support for the young bowler.
Following the defeat in Leeds, Gambhir addressed the media regarding Rana’s selection. He stated that Rana had been kept as a precaution due to some niggles within the team. However, with the injured player now fully fit, Rana’s services were no longer required. A BCCI official confirmed that Rana did not travel with the team to Birmingham.
“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 NDTV. Gambhir added, “Harshit Rana, I will discuss with the chairman of selectors. He was held back because of some niggles. Everything is fine now. We will take a call after discussions.”
Although Rana is no longer part of the 18-member squad, he is expected to remain in England for a few more days as an unofficial backup in case any fresh injury concerns arise.
India’s bowling unit faced criticism after their performance in the second innings of the first Test, where England chased down a challenging target of 371. While Jasprit Bumrah took a five-wicket haul in the first innings, the rest of the pace attack—Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur—struggled to make an impact.
Rana, along with Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, remained on the bench for the first Test. As the series progresses, India is expected to test new bowling combinations, especially with Bumrah likely to be rested for two of the remaining four Tests.
India’s squad for the second Test:
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain/Wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
