India's Harshit Rana Released from Test Squad Ahead of Second England Clash

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 precaution, was not seen with his teammates on the bus to Birmingham. 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 next two days before resuming training. They will aim to level the series in the second Test and move past the disappointment of the Headingley defeat.

“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,” Gautam Gambhir said about Rana after 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.”

India's loss at Headingley, despite a strong batting performance, has been a major talking point.

It was the first time in Test history that a team lost despite scoring five centuries in the same match.

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

Ben Duckett’s aggressive 149 laid the foundation for the chase, with contributions from Crawley and Root. The total of 1673 runs scored by both teams is the highest ever in a Test match between India and England.

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