He was added to the squad three nights before the first Test.
Just a couple of days ahead of India’s first Test at Headingley, Leeds, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) added pacer Harshit Rana to the squad. Harshit, who made his Test debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25, was also a part of the India A squad that recently played two unofficial Tests against England Lions and a two-day intra-squad game in Beckenham.
As per reports, Harshit will be serving as a backup option due to minor fitness concerns surrounding certain members of the pace attack. India’s current pace unit features a variety with the likes of spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh – along with seam-bowling all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur.
Anshul Kamboj impressed with both bat and ball during the India A tour games. With the ball, he picked up five wickets across two games. With the bat, he added an unbeaten 51 in the second innings of the second match. Harshit Rana, on the other hand, managed just a lone wicket in his only outing. He did not play the second match. Thus, his inclusion over Kamboj has sparked a debate.
Kamboj is also highly rated by his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the stand-in skipper MS Dhoni. In the recently concluded 18th edition of the cash-rich league, he picked up eight wickets in as many matches at an average of 21.50 and an economy rate of around eight.
Harshit was retained by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping INR 4 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. He claimed 15 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 29.85 and an economy of 10.18.
In addition to this, the Haryana-born did an exceptional job in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, picking up 35 scalps. He became only the third bowler in the domestic circuit to pick all 10 wickets in an innings during Haryana’s match against Kerala. In comparison, Harshit took seven wickets in the only game he played.
The English conditions, offering swing and seam movement, would’ve been favourable for Kamboj and supported his style of bowling. His deliveries generally seam off the pitch and hit the batter harder than the speed gun suggests. Harshit, on the other hand, is more of a hit-the-deck bowler, aiming to make the ball bounce sharply off the pitch and make it difficult for the batter to play.
Despite his poor form, Harshit could manage to find a place in the playing XI. His bowling style, favouring short-of-a-good-length deliveries, is quite similar to that of Krishna. Including another bowler with the same skillset offers little variation in the attack. In contrast, selecting Kamboj could have added a different dimension to the pace unit. Kamboj would have brought variety and potentially posed a more compelling challenge to Akash and Arshdeep, who are still waiting for their chances.
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It seems that Harshit’s previous international experience, although limited, is working in his favour. Harshit made his Test Debut against Australia in November 2024. He received his T20I cap when he stepped on the field as a concussion substitute against England in January 2025. He played his maiden ODI also against the Three Lions. The Delhi bowler was also a part of the squad that clinched the Champions Trophy 2025.
So far, Harshit has played two Tests, five ODIs, and a T20I match. He has been impressive in the white-ball format, but his performance with the red ball hasn’t been that effective. Kamboj is yet to make his debut at the international level.
The first Test between England and India, for the newly-named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, will commence on Friday in Leeds. The other four Tests will be held at Edgbaston (from July 2), at Lord’s (from July 10), at Old Trafford in Manchester (from July 23), and finally at the Oval (from July 31).
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