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Fast bowler Harshit Rana has been released from India’s Test squad in England, just a day after head coach Gautam Gambhir offered an explanation for his late inclusion. According to the Press Trust of India, Harshit-who was added as injury cover-did not travel to Birmingham, where the second Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will be played.<\/p>\n
Harshit’s addition as the 19th member of the squad had raised eyebrows, especially given his limited impact in the lead-up to the series. He had picked up a solitary wicket in India A’s four-day unofficial Test against England Lions earlier this month, yet was preferred over the more impactful Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Kumar in the main squad.<\/p>\n
“Harshit Rana has been released from the squad. He hasn’t travelled with the Indian team to Birmingham for the second Test starting July 2,” PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying. India players left Leeds for Birmingham on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Gambhir confirmed after the defeat in the Leeds Test that Harshit might have to return home. He explained that Harshit was brought in<\/strong> due to a minor injury concern within the squad. However, the player in question recovered in time, rendering Harshit’s inclusion unnecessary.<\/p>\n Harshit, who rose to prominence during his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL under Gambhir’s mentorship, has long enjoyed the coach’s backing. It was Gambhir who handed the Delhi pacer his Test debut in Australia. Since then, Harshit has played two Tests and taken four wickets.<\/p>\n His selection as the 19th player for the England tour puzzled many, given that India had already named five frontline pacers, along with pace-bowling all-rounders Nitish Reddy and Shardul Thakur.<\/p>\n In the first Test, Harshit, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh warmed the bench as India went with a pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Shardul Thakur was included as the sole seam-bowling all-rounder.<\/p>\n However, India’s bowling attack failed to fire collectively, as England chased down 371 in the fourth innings to clinch the first Test<\/strong> by five wickets. Bumrah starred with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, helping dismiss England for 465 and giving India a slender lead of six runs. Despite scoring 364 in their second innings, India succumbed to defeat.<\/p>\n Remarkably, India became the first team in Test history to lose a match despite scoring five centuries across both innings.<\/p>\n Bumrah was unable to replicate his first-innings heroics in the second innings, as the rest of the bowling unit faltered in support of the team’s spearhead.<\/p>\n India may look to rejig their bowling combination for the second Test in Birmingham. It also remains to be seen whether Bumrah-who shouldered the bulk of the bowling workload in the first Test-will feature. The team management has confirmed that the fast bowler will play only three of the five Tests in the series.<\/p>\n – Ends<\/p>\n