India's Harshit Rana Released from Test Squad Ahead of Birmingham Match Against England

India take on England (AP Photo)

Leeds: India's pace 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 boarding the team bus to Birmingham with his teammates.

The Indian squad departed from Leeds around 11:30 am local time and was scheduled to arrive in Birmingham in just over three hours. The team is expected to rest for two days before resuming training in preparation for the second Test. The goal is to level the series after their recent defeat.

Following India’s defeat in the first Test, Gautam Gambhir mentioned that Rana was brought in as a backup due to a minor concern within the group.

However, he added, “But at the moment, everything looks fine, so if everyone is fine, he would have to fly back.”

India's loss at Headingley, despite a strong batting performance with 835 runs and five centuries, has been widely discussed. It marked the first instance in Test history where a team lost despite scoring five centuries in a single match.

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

Ben Duckett’s aggressive 149 set the stage for the record chase, with contributions from Crawley and Root. The combined 1673 runs scored by both teams represent the highest ever in a Test match between India and England.

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