India's Squad For England Tests Increased From 18 To 19. Report Claims New Member Is...
The first India vs England Test in Leeds is only three days away, and it seems that the Gautam Gambhir-coached side wants to bolster its strength further
- India's cricket squad for the England Tests has added Harshit Rana, pending official confirmation.
- The squad includes five fast bowlers: Bumrah, Siraj, Krishna, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh.
- If the report regarding Rana's addition is true, he will become the 19th member of the squad.
Indian cricket squad for England Tests has a new addition, according to a report. The first India vs England Test in Leeds is only three days away, and it seems that the Gautam Gambhir-coached side wants to bolster its strength further. On May 24, an 18-member squad was announced. With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the side bore a fresh look. Sai Sudharshan received his maiden Test call-up while Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur made a comeback.
Another striking feature of the squad was the presence of five fast bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh. Now, according to a report in Dainik Jagran, Harshit Rana has also been added to the squad. If the report is true, he will become the 19th member of the squad. No official confirmation has come from the BCCI regarding the addition.
Earlier, sources, who are aware of the development, told news agency IANS: “Yes, after a lot of speculation going around, it has now been confirmed that Rana will stay back with the Indian Test team. But it is yet to be known if he will be officially added to the Indian Test squad ahead of the series starting on June 20.”
It is understood that the members of India ‘A' team who aren't in the main Test side or haven't landed a county deal yet might be on the flight back home on Tuesday. In England, Rana got his chance to play in the first game against England Lions at Canterbury, where he returned with 1-99 and made 16 runs.
Rana made his Test debut on last year's tour of Australia, where he managed to pick just four wickets at an average of 50.75, with his best figures being 3-48 in Perth. He was not selected for the upcoming five-match series against England as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee picked Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna to be in the fast-bowling department alongside Jaspreet Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
Overall, the New Delhi-based Rana averages 27.79 with the ball in 13 first-class cricket games, having taken 48 wickets. He also averages 32.80 with the bat, including hitting a century and two fifties.
India, captained by Shubman Gill, are aiming to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. The five-match Test series, to be played at Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, and The Oval, will also be India's first assignment in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
India's squad (as was officially announced on May 24): Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
With IANS inputs
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir