The second Test will begin on July 2.
In less than one full circle of the clock since India’s forgettable outing at Headingley, pacer Harshit Rana has been excluded from the squad. As per the latest developments, the Delhi pacer will not be travelling with the team to Birmingham for the second Test starting on July 2. Notably, the 19th member was added to the squad just last week as a backup option for the first Test in Leeds.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer’s England trip was extended after his participation with India A. During the press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir revealed the reason behind Rana’s addition for the first Test.
“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 said following Shubhman Gill’s first defeat as the India Test captain.
After everyone else in the squad looked fit, it was decided that Rana will fly back to India.
During his only India A match, Rana picked up one wicket for 99 runs. He also contributed 16 runs with the bat. In his Test career so far, the 23-year-old has played only two matches Down Under. He has taken four wickets at an average of above 50, with his best figures being 3/48.
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Several factors led up to India’s embarrassing defeat at the Headingley office. Despite scoring five hundreds, Shubman Gill lost his first Test assignment. One of the reasons was India’s toothless bowling when Jasprit Bumrah was having a bad day.
During the second innings, Bumrah picked up a five-for in 24.4 overs while leaking 83 runs. His exploits included openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. Mohammed Siraj took two while Prasidh Krishna contributed with three wickets. In the fourth innings, Bumrah was wicketless while bowling 19 overs. Krishna and Shardul Thakur managed two wickets each, while Jadeja picked up one. Siraj was also wicketless on the final day of the Test match.
Notably, England won the back of the same openers, adding 188 runs for the first-wicket partnership. The Bazball 2.0 approach worked for Ben Stokes & Co.
To add to India’s woes, the ace pacer is set to play only two more of the remaining four matches to manage his workload. Speaking on Bumrah’s availability and the decision on which matches the pacer is expected to take part in, Gambhir mentioned that they are yet to take the call.
Gambhir also spoke about building India’s pace battery. In the absence of the Ahmedabad bowler, Akash Deep may don the whites, or Arshdeep Singh will receive his maiden Test cap.
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