India fast bowler Harshit Rana has been released from the Test squad ahead of the second match of the five-Test series against England, reports said on June 25.
Harshit Rana was called up as a precautionary measure and was added to the squad. He was however not seen boarding the team bus to Birmingham with the rest of the players. India’s squad left Leeds on June 25 for Birmingham which is around three hours by bus.
The team is set to rest for the next two days before resuming training, ahead of the second Test, where they will aim to level the series after their loss at Headingley.
“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,” Gautam Gambhir had said on Rana after India’s defeat in the first Test. “But at the moment, everything looks fine, so if everyone is fine, he would have to fly back.”
India’s loss at Headingley, despite scoring 835 runs and producing five individual centuries, was notable for its rarity. It was the first time in Test history that a team lost despite scoring five hundreds in the match.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant (twice) all made centuries, but England chased down a record score of 371, winning by five wickets on the final day.
Ben Duckett’s 149 led the way, with support from Zak Crawley and Joe Root. The 1,673 combined runs in the match marked the highest total in a Test between India and England.
India will face England in the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2.
