India's Harshit Rana Released from Squad Ahead of Second Test vs. England in Birmingham

India take on England (AP Photo)

Leeds: Indian fast bowler Harshit Rana has been released from the Test squad prior to the second match of the ongoing five-Test series against England.

The young pacer, initially called up as a precautionary measure, was not observed boarding the team bus to Birmingham alongside his teammates. The Indian squad departed from Leeds around 11:30 am local time, with an estimated journey time of just over three hours to Birmingham.

The team is scheduled to rest for the following two days before resuming training. Their focus will be on the second Test, where they aim to level the series and recover from the disappointment of their loss at Headingley.

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."

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

India's defeat at Headingley, despite accumulating 835 runs and featuring five individual centuries, has garnered attention due to its unique circumstances. This marked the first instance in Test history where a team suffered a loss despite achieving five centuries in the match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant (twice) all scored 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-breaking chase, with significant contributions from Crawley and Root. The combined total of 1673 runs between the two teams represents the highest ever in a Test match between India and England.

India is set to face England in the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2.