Harshit Rana earns late call-up: Updated India squad for the first India vs England Test

After reports suggested that Harshit Rana was asked to stay back in England, it has been officially confirmed that the pacer is now a part of the India squad. A part of the India A squad that toured England ahead of the India vs England Test series, Rana has joined the Indian squad for the first Test. The five-match Test series is scheduled to kick off on June 20, with the opening fixture slated at Leeds, Headingley. The reason for Rana's late addition to the combination for the first match remains under wraps. As the main squad travelled from Beckenham to Leeds, Rana was spotted traveling with the team.

A look at the updated India squad for the first India vs England Test at Headingley after Harshit Rana joins in

Harshit Rana toured England as a part of the India A squad, playing one of the two matches against England Lions. Rana put up an ordinary show in Canterbury, picking up one wicket in 27 overs and scoring 16 runs with the bat. Subsequently, Rana headed to Beckenham with the India A team to play the intra-squad match against India at Kent. With the intra-squad match unavailable to stream, Rana's performance in the warm-up fixture is not known.

In contrast to what has transpired now, speedster Anshul Kamboj was expected to earn a call-up to the squad following his performance for India A. The young Haryana pacer scalped 5 wickets across the two Tests against the England Lions. Meanwhile, Kamboj also made an impact with the bat, scoring 76 runs, including a half-century in the last fixture. However, it seems like Kamboj will need to wait longer for his entry into the senior Indian Test setup.

Harshit Rana made his maiden call-up for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Playing two fixtures in the five-match Test series down under, Rana picked up four wickets before being dropped from the Playing XI. While India closed a disappointing WTC Cycle with a 1-3 defeat in the BGT, Rana was anticipated to keep his place in the squad. However, as India marked a significant transition in the format, Harshit Rana, along with batsman Sarfaraz Khan, lost his place in the India squad ahead of the India vs England Test.

Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh earned his maiden Test call-up for the England tour, as it was confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will not play all the Tests. The earlier pace lineup of the visitors for the India vs England Tests included Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj, along with all-round options Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur, apart from Bumrah and Arshdeep. Now, Harshit Rana has been added to the attack for the Headingley Test. It is still unclear if Rana will return to India following the first Test or if the management has decided to keep the pacer back for the entirety of the five-match series.

“The Men's Selection Committee has added Harshit Rana to India's squad for the first Test in Leeds against England,” BCCI stated in a release. “Rana, who was a part of the India A squad, has linked up with the team as India begin preparations for the first Test.”

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah has confirmed that he will play the first Test at Headingley. The speedster is slated to play three Tests in England out of the five, owing to his workload management. Bumrah’s history of back injuries and the subsequent need of strategically reducing his workload led to the senior pacer pulling out of the race of becoming India’s next Test captain. Which of the three India vs England Tests would the visitors play their top seed in is still unclear, but the confirmation has arrived for the opening fixture.

“Obviously, the number is not decided. First (Test) is definitely on, that is going to happen. Rest, we will see how things are, what is the workload and scenario… but yes. 3 Tests is what I can manage at the moment.”

Updated India squad for the first India vs England Test

Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana