A day after India lost to England in the first Test of the five-match series, pacer Harshit Rana was reportedly released from the squad. According to a Times of India report, Harshit Rana did not travel with the rest of the squad members, who left for Birmingham, the venue of the second Test, on Wednesday. India’s squad departed from Leeds by bus around 11:30 am local time.
Rana was added to the main squad barely a couple of days before the series opener of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He was part of the India A side that played two first-class matches against England Lions and was asked to stay back with the main squad as a backup pacer.
This comes a day after head coach Gautam Gambhir had dropped a hint about Rana’s release from the squad. “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,” Gambhir had said on Rana following India’s defeat in the first Test. “But at the moment, everything looks fine, so if everyone is fine, he would have to fly back,” Gambhir said.
Rana made his debut in Australia and was preferred over Prasidh Krishna at the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He also produced a good show in the first innings, picking three wickets, but his inability to maintain the same level of consistency in the second innings and then in the next Test made India look for other options.
India’s pace attack fails to back Jasprit Bumrah
Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who stood out with a five-wicket haul in England’s first innings, the rest of the Indian bowling attack struggled to make an impact. The hosts chased down a daunting target of 371 with relative ease on the fifth and final day of the Test on Tuesday.
India’s pace trio — Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur — lacked consistency in line and length, which proved costly.
Commenting on the performance, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir emphasised the importance of patience and experience. “We need to give these bowlers time,” he said. “Previously, we had a pace attack where four bowlers had over 40 Tests each under their belt. That level of experience doesn’t impact white-ball formats as much, but in Test cricket, especially in places like Australia, England, or South Africa, it makes a big difference.”
“These are still early days for some of our bowlers,” Gambhir continued. “If we start judging them after every single Test, how can we expect to build a strong bowling unit? Aside from Bumrah and Siraj, the others may not have much experience yet, but they clearly have the talent — that’s why they’re part of the squad.”
“We need to keep backing them,” he added. “This isn’t just about one series. It’s about developing a pool of fast bowlers who can serve Indian Test cricket for the long haul.”
