Harshit Rana dropped from the squad following India’s loss in the first Test

Young fast bowler Harshit Rana has been officially discharged from the team ahead of the second Test in Birmingham, which begins on July 4, following India’s five-wicket loss to England in the first Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

For the two first-class matches against the England Lions earlier this month, the 23-year-old pacer first secured a berth in the India A team. This was apparently because of a small injury worry in the starting lineup. The support that head coach Gautam Gambhir gives Rana was a factor in his selection.

Harshit Rana was selected as the 19th player for the Leeds Test, despite only taking one wicket for 99 runs in 27 overs.

Gambhir, however, spoke about Rana’s late participation after the team’s loss in Leeds. Now that the wounded player is fully recovered, Rana’s cover job is gone. The pacer did not accompany the team to Birmingham, according to a BCCI official.

“Harshit Rana, I’ll talk to the selectors’ chairman about it. There were certain niggles that held him back. All is well. Following India’s five-wicket defeat in the first Test, Gambhir stated, “I will talk about it, and then we will make that decision.”

“Harshit Rana is no longer with the team. According to a BCCI source cited by NDTV, “He hasn’t travelled with the Indian squad to Birmingham for the second Test starting July 4.”

India will continue to use different bowling combinations.

Harshit Rana is anticipated to stay in England for a few more days as an unofficial backup in case there are any more injury problems, even though he is no longer formally a member of the 18-man team. In the second innings, England successfully chased 371 runs as India’s bowling attack found it difficult to keep up the pressure. The remaining bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur did not make much of an impact, despite Jasprit Bumrah taking five wickets in the first innings.

In the first Test, Harshit, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh warmed the bench as India advanced with a seasoned pace trio. The management is anticipated to try fresh combinations in the future since Bumrah is probably going to be rested for two of the final four tests.

India’s Whole Team:

Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC/WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Kol Rahul, and Mohd. Siraj.