India's Pacer Rana Released Ahead of Second Test Against 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 five-Test series against England.

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

The team is scheduled to rest for the subsequent 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 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."

“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 accumulating 835 runs and featuring five individual centuries, has drawn significant attention due to its unique nature. This marked the first instance in Test history where a team lost despite having five centurions in the 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 laid the foundation for the record 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 will face England in the second Test at Edgbaston on July 2.