India's Harshit Rana Released from Test Squad Ahead of Second England Clash After Injury Concerns

Indian Pacer Released from Squad Ahead of Second Test Against England

Leeds: India's fast bowler Harshit Rana has been released from the Test squad before the second match of the five-Test series against England.

The young bowler, initially called up as a precautionary measure, was not seen with the rest of the team as they boarded the bus to Birmingham. The Indian squad departed from Leeds around 11:30 am local time and were expected to reach Birmingham in approximately three hours.

The team is scheduled to rest for two days before resuming training in preparation for the second Test. They will aim to level the series and recover from the disappointment of the Headingley defeat.

Following India’s defeat in the first Test, Gautam Gambhir commented on Rana’s inclusion: “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.”

India's defeat at Headingley was notable, considering the team scored a total of 835 runs and recorded five individual centuries. It marked the first instance in Test history where a team lost despite achieving five centuries in a single match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant (twice) all achieved centuries. However, England successfully chased down a target of 371, securing a five-wicket victory on the final day.

Ben Duckett’s aggressive 149 provided the foundation for the record chase, with significant contributions from Crawley and Root. The combined total of 1673 runs between the two teams set a new record for the highest aggregate in a Test match between India and England.

India will face England in the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2.