Harshit Rana Retained as Backup, Gambhir to Rejoin Indian Team for England Tests

In a significant development ahead of the first Test against England, young pacer Harshit Rana has been retained in Leeds as an unofficial backup for the Indian cricket team. A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official confirmed to IGK that the 23-year-old, who has played two Tests, five ODIs, and one T20I, is staying with the squad as cover for players with undisclosed minor injuries. Rana, who traveled with the team from London to Leeds on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, is not yet an official member of the 18-member Shubman Gill-led squad, which includes five specialist fast bowlers; Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh; and two pace-bowling all-rounders, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur. Rana recently featured for India A against England Lions and played an intra-squad match in Beckenham.

In another update, head coach Gautam Gambhir is set to rejoin the team soon, likely on June 17 itself. Gambhir had returned to New Delhi due to a family emergency but departed for London on Tuesday morning. He is expected to link up with the squad in Leeds shortly, as the team prepares for the first Test of the newly-named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, starting Friday, June 20, 2025. The series includes four more Tests at Edgbaston (July 2), Lord’s (July 10), Old Trafford (July 23), and the Oval (July 31).

With Rana’s retention providing depth to the pace attack and Gambhir’s imminent return boosting team morale, India is gearing up for a challenging five-Test series on English soil. Stay tuned for more updates as the action unfolds in Leeds!

                                               

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