India's Squad Trimmed: Pacer Released Ahead of Second Test Against England in Birmingham

India take on England (AP Photo)

Leeds: Indian fast bowler Harshit Rana has been released from the Test squad prior to the second match of the five-Test series against England.

The young pacer, initially called up as a precautionary measure, was not observed boarding the team bus to Birmingham alongside his teammates. The Indian squad departed from Leeds around 11:30 am local time and was expected to reach Birmingham in approximately three hours.

The team is scheduled to rest for two days before resuming training in preparation for the second Test. Their goal is to level the series and move past the disappointment of the Headingley defeat.

According to Gautam Gambhir, Rana was included as a backup due to a "niggle" within the group. However, he added, "But at the moment, everything looks fine, so if everyone is fine, he would have to fly back.”

India's defeat at Headingley, despite a strong batting performance, marked a historic anomaly. They scored 835 runs and recorded five individual centuries but still suffered a loss. It was the first instance in Test history of a team losing despite achieving five centuries in a single match.

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

Ben Duckett's aggressive 149 established the momentum for the record-breaking chase, with substantial contributions from Crawley and Root. The combined 1673 runs scored by both teams represented the highest ever in a Test match between India and England.

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