He was with the squad as a travelling reserve.
In a recent development coming in, a talented Indian fast bowler is set to be released from the squad for the ongoing IND vs NZ Test series.
22-year-old Harshit Rana, who was with the team as a travelling reserve, will now return to playing for his state team Delhi in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Reportedly, the development comes after the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) management requested that Rana be made available for the premier domestic tournament to tackle their bowling crisis.
Delhi’s veteran pacer Navdeep Saini will not be available as he has been selected for the India A team for their tour of Australia. In addition to this, Delhi is dealing with injury setbacks after their hard-fought draw against Tamil Nadu.
Rana is likely to play in Delhi’s next home match against Assam, set to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on October 26.
Harshit Rana’s most recent red-ball outing was in the Duleep Trophy for India D, where he stood out by taking eight wickets across two games.
Delhi’s struggles have persisted into the current season, following a couple of disappointing years. Their campaign started with a lacklustre draw against Chhattisgarh, which was followed by another draw against Tamil Nadu, placing them fifth in their group.
Harshit Rana will thus takeover the responsibility of leading the bowling attack, especially since Delhi has decided to move in a new direction with their pace attack, choosing not to include seasoned bowler Ishant Sharma in their squad for this season.
Rana has enjoyed a standout year, including a successful Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) season with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) where he picked up 13 wickets and was an integral cog of the championship-winning side.
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