ENG vs IND: Harshit Rana released from India squad after the Headingley Test defeat; Here's why
Synopsis
Indian pacer Harshit Rana, who was added to the squad as an injury cover ahead of the first Test against England, has been released following the defeat. He did not travel with the main squad to Birmingham for the second Test at Edgbaston/
Indian pacer Harshit Rana was released from the India squad after the team’s defeat in the first match of the five-match series against England at Headingley in Leeds on Tuesday, June 24.
Rana was added as the 19th member to the Indian squad just a few days before the series opener of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The 23-year-old was part of India A for two unofficial matches against England Lions at Canterbury and Northampton. After an Intra-squad match between India and India A at the County Cricket Ground in Kent, Harshit Rana was asked to stay back for the first Test, while other India A players returned home.
Harshit Rana’s inclusion in the squad sparked debate, as many believe that young uncapped Indian pacer Anshul Kamboj should have been selected ahead of him, given his performance in India A’s two unofficial matches against England Lions, five wickets at an average of 26.20 and an economy rate of 3.05 in two games.
Why was Harshit Rana released from the squad?
After the Headingley Test defeat, the Indian squad traveled to Birmingham to play the second Test at Edgbaston, and Harshit Rana was not part of the traveling group. According to the IANS, a source close to the BCCI, Rana was added to the squad after a pacer had a niggle and since, everything is now under control on injury front, the management has decided to release the pacer from the squad,
“Actually, one of the pacers in the main Test team had a niggle. If the team think-tank wished to have someone as a back-up bowler who could execute a bouncer-led strategy, it was Rana who fit the bill and thus was held back,” a BCCI source told IANS.
“But as things stand, everything is fine now. As a result, Rana has now been released from the squad, and that’s why he was not spotted with the team on their travel to Birmingham,” the source added.
Despite being added to the India squad ahead of the first Test against England, Harshit Rana was not picked into the playing XI for the series opener, as the visitors went with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna as three pacers and Shardul Thakur as a seam bowling all-rounder.
Harshit Rana made his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and picked four wickets at an average of 50.75 and an economy rate of 4.51 in three innings.
Team India aims for a comeback in the Edgbaston Test
Team India, under the leadership of Shubman Gill, did not have an ideal start to the England tour as they lost to the hosts by five wickets at Headingley. Despite setting a challenging 371-run target, India failed to defend it as England chased it down in 82 overs on the final day of the series opener.
Ben Duckett (149) and Zak Crawley (65) laid the foundation with a solid 188-run stand for the opening wicket before a 73-run unbeaten partnership between Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) for the sixth wicket sealed the victory for England. India lost the match despite five centuries across two innings and Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul in the first innings, which prevented England from surpassing India’s first innings total of 471.
With the second Test set to take place on July 2, Team India will be aiming to regroup and address their bowling concerns to make a comeback at Edgbaston in Birmingham. However, the availability of Jasprit Bumrah remains doubtful, given that Team India management wanted to manage his workload in order to avoid any potential discomfort and ensure he remains fit for the remainder of the five-Test series.