A young and relatively untested Indian Test side, led by debutant captain Shubman Gill, is gearing up for its toughest challenge yet: a five-match Test series in England, starting this week at Headingley. The tour also marks the beginning of India's World Test Championship (WTC) 2025每27 campaign. While the main squad is already in England, several players had arrived earlier as part of the India A team for warm-up matches.
Now, reports indicate that fast-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana will stay back with the senior Test team, although his official inclusion in the squad is yet to be confirmed. Rana featured in two four-day games against the England Lions and an intra-squad match in Beckenham but will not return to India with the rest of the India A team. His extended stay has stirred debate among fans, particularly as fellow pacer Anshul Kamboj〞also part of the India A side〞delivered a more impressive performance in the same fixtures.
"Yes, after much speculation, it＊s confirmed that Rana will stay back with the Indian Test team," a source familiar with the development told IANS. "However, it remains unclear whether he will be officially added to the squad for the five-Test series beginning June 20."
Most India A players who are not part of the senior Test squad or without county contracts are expected to return home on Tuesday. Rana featured in the first unofficial Test against the England Lions at Canterbury, where he took 1 for 99 and scored 16 runs.
The 22-year-old made his Test debut during India's tour of Australia last year but had a modest outing, managing only four wickets at an average of 50.75, with best figures of 3/48. He was not initially selected for the England series, with the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel opting for Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna, along with regulars Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.?
However, Rana's first-class numbers show promise: 48 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 27.79, and a batting average of 32.80, including a century and two fifties.?
Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj made a strong impression in England, outperforming senior bowlers like Shardul Thakur, Mukesh Kumar, and Harshit Rana〞an especially remarkable feat given it was his first tour of the UK. During the second day of the first unofficial Test, Kamboj bowled a tight nine-over spell, conceding just 24 runs and claiming the opening wicket by clean bowling England Lions＊ Ben McKinney.??
In fact, he first gained national attention in November 2024 after he took all 10 wickets in an innings for Haryana against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. He returned with extraordinary figures of 10/49 and became only the third bowler in the tournament's history to achieve this milestone.? ??
The decision to keep Rana back has not gone unnoticed by fans, many of whom took to X (formerly Twitter) to question whether his selection was influenced by his IPL affiliation with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)〞the team that new India head coach Gautam Gambhir led to a title win in 2024.?
Some fans speculated that Anshul Kamboj, who plays for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), may have been overlooked due to the well-known rift between Gambhir and CSK icon MS Dhoni.?
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?
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