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

India take on England (AP Photo)

Leeds: Indian fast 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 expected to arrive in Birmingham in just over three hours.

The team is scheduled to rest for two days before resuming training to prepare for the second Test. They aim to level the series after their recent defeat.

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

India's defeat at Headingley was notable despite the team amassing 835 runs and recording five individual centuries. This marked the first instance in Test history where a team lost despite five of its batsmen scoring centuries in the same match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant (twice) all achieved centuries, yet 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, complemented by significant contributions from Crawley and Root. The combined total of 1673 runs between the two teams represented the highest ever in a Test match between India and England.

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