IND vs ENG:BCCI confirms Harshit Rana's inclusion in India's squad

New Delhi: The Indian cricket team has received a fresh boost ahead of the much-awaited five-Test series against England. Young fast bowler Harshit Rana has been added to India’s Test squad for the opening match, which will be played at Headingley, Leeds, starting June 20.hough Rana was not part of the original 18-member squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he was a late inclusion and has already travelled with the team from London to Leeds. The BCCI confirmed the development in an official release, though it remains uncertain whether the pacer will remain with the squad for the entire series or only for the opening Test.The 23-year-old right-arm fast bowler from Delhi has been under the selectors’ radar for some time now, thanks to his impressive performances for India A and in domestic cricket. His recent outings against the England Lions and participation in the intra-squad match at Beckenham further strengthened his case. Rana was also spotted arriving with the squad at Leeds station .“The Men's Selection Committee has added Harshit Rana to India's squad for the first Test in Leeds against England,” the BCCI stated in an official 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.”This will be an important opportunity for Rana, who made his international debut during India’s tour of Australia last year. So far, he has played two Test matches, five ODIs, and a single T20I for India. Despite his promising spells in India A tours, Rana was overlooked when the original Test squad for the England series was announced.With Rana’s inclusion, India’s fast bowling department now has an extra option as the team prepares for the challenging English conditions. The original squad featured pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh. All-rounders Shardul Thakur and Nitish Reddy were also included for their pace-bowling abilities.Considering the tight schedule and the fitness concerns surrounding a few senior players, bringing in Rana seems to be a precautionary move by the team management.India will also begin a fresh chapter in their red-ball journey with Shubman Gill taking over the Test captaincy. This marks the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for India, following the retirement of senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin from Test cricket.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.