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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Rahul praised for commitment after reaching England early despite recently becoming a father: 'He could've easily said...'
KL Rahul, who had welcomed a daughter with wife Athiya on 24 March, had featured in the second unofficial Test between India A and England Lions that took place just two weeks after Delhi Capitals' final game of the 2025 Indian Premier League. read more KL Rahul had scored a superb 137 in the second innings of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, though the knock ultimately went in vain. AP Former India cricketer Hemang Badani heaped praise on senior batter KL Rahul for his commitment, especially for showing up in the tour of England earlier than many of his teammates and playing a practice game despite recently becoming a father . Rahul, who is the senior-most member of the Test team following Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirements from the format last month, had landed in England before a majority of the Shubman Gill-led squad after playing his maiden season with Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And just two weeks after DC, who had failed to reach the playoffs, played their final game of the season, Rahul featured in India A's second unofficial Test against England Lions in Northampton, where the wicketkeeper-batter scored a fluent 116 followed by 51. Rahul and wife Athiya Shetty had welcomed a baby daughter on 24 March. The star cricketer's paternity leave, however, was limited to DC's first game of the season, against Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam which took place on the same day he became a father. Rahul rejoined the Capitals in time for their second game, against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the same venue less than a week later, and would remain caught up with the gruelling tournament for the next two months. Badani salutes Rahul's intent 'I really liked the fact that he was someone who said, 'I want to go to England early. I want to play the side game.' Forget about the hundred he got — that came later. The intent — that's what matters. The intent to be there early, to be prepared, to be with the side,' Delhi Capitals coach Badani told The Times of India. 'Let's not forget, he's a young father, and I don't think his child is traveling with him initially. So for him to say, 'Country over my child' — that's a huge call. 'He could've easily said, 'I'm not playing the side game anyway, I'll just go straight to the Test match.' But he didn't,' he added. The batting practice that he got in the tour game came in handy in the series opener against England at Headingley, where Rahul scored a flamboyant 137 in the second innings in addition to 42 in the first. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The 33-year-old stood tall at a time when opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill, centurions in the first innings, were dismissed cheaply and his presence also helped designated wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant recover from a shaky start and go on to score a second consecutive century.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Why Was India Pacer Suddenly Released After 1st India vs England Test? Report Says: "He Was Not..."
Seam-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana has been released from India's squad ahead of the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, for which the team has travelled to Birmingham. Sources have told IANS that Rana is now on his way back to India from Leeds itself. Rana was previously added to India's squad for the first Test in Leeds, which England won by five wickets by chasing 371 on a thrilling final day at Headingley. "Actually, one of the pacers in the main Test team had a niggle. If the team think-tank wished to have someone as a back-up bowler who could execute a bouncer-led strategy, it was Rana who fit the bill and thus was held back. "But as things stand, everything is fine now. As a result, Rana has now been released from the squad, and that's why he was not spotted with the team on their travel to Birmingham,' the sources further told IANS. Rana made his Test debut during last year's tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, where he managed to pick just four wickets at an average of 50.75, with his best figures being 3-48 in Perth. In England, Rana got his chance to play in the first game for India 'A' against England Lions at Canterbury, where he returned with figures of 1-99 and scored 16 runs. Meanwhile, Wednesday was a travel day for the Shubman Gill -led Indian team. The players will have a day off on Thursday and are likely to begin their training sessions on Friday in preparation for the second Test starting on July 2 at Edgbaston. With England now 1-0 up in the five-match series, India have a task at their hands to bounce back, especially after suffering a stinging defeat in Leeds, despite having five centuries and a five-wicket haul in their kitty. India are in England for a five-match Test series, their first outing in the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Harshit Rana not travelling with Indian squad for the second Test
Young speedster Harshit Rana, who was added as a cover to the Indian squad for the opening Test against England at Leeds, has been released by the team management on Wednesday (June 25, 2025). Rana, who played two Tests in Australia with modest results, was a part of India A squad but hardly made an impact in the unofficial Test against England Lions in Canterbury where he was hit for 99 runs for a solitary wicket in 27 overs. 'Harshit Rana has been released from the squad. He hasn't travelled with the Indian squad to Birmingham for the second Test starting July 4,' a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity. The 23-year-old Rana, a protege of head coach Gautam Gambhir, is a bustling hit-the-deck bowler who hit the headlines with a lovely off-cutter which breached Travis Head's defence in Perth. However, over time it has been evident that he is not ready to play top flight red-ball cricket and is a work in progress. That Harshit, and not a far more potent Mukesh Kumar or Anshul Kamboj were kept as cover, was a big surprise since the Delhi man's bowling is unsuitable for these conditions. 'Harshit Rana, I will discuss with the chairman of selectors. He was held back because of some niggles... everything is fine. I will discuss, and we will then take that call,' Gambhir said after India lost the opening Test by five wickets.
India Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Harshit Rana released from Test squad, day after Gambhir's clarification: Report
Fast bowler Harshit Rana has been released from India's Test squad in England, just a day after head coach Gautam Gambhir offered an explanation for his late inclusion. According to the Press Trust of India, Harshit-who was added as injury cover-did not travel to Birmingham, where the second Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will be addition as the 19th member of the squad had raised eyebrows, especially given his limited impact in the lead-up to the series. He had picked up a solitary wicket in India A's four-day unofficial Test against England Lions earlier this month, yet was preferred over the more impactful Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Kumar in the main Rana has been released from the squad. He hasn't travelled with the Indian team to Birmingham for the second Test starting July 2," PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying. India players left Leeds for Birmingham on Wednesday. Gambhir confirmed after the defeat in the Leeds Test that Harshit might have to return home. He explained that Harshit was brought in due to a minor injury concern within the squad. However, the player in question recovered in time, rendering Harshit's inclusion who rose to prominence during his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL under Gambhir's mentorship, has long enjoyed the coach's backing. It was Gambhir who handed the Delhi pacer his Test debut in Australia. Since then, Harshit has played two Tests and taken four selection as the 19th player for the England tour puzzled many, given that India had already named five frontline pacers, along with pace-bowling all-rounders Nitish Reddy and Shardul the first Test, Harshit, Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh warmed the bench as India went with a pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Shardul Thakur was included as the sole seam-bowling India's bowling attack failed to fire collectively, as England chased down 371 in the fourth innings to clinch the first Test by five wickets. Bumrah starred with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, helping dismiss England for 465 and giving India a slender lead of six runs. Despite scoring 364 in their second innings, India succumbed to India became the first team in Test history to lose a match despite scoring five centuries across both was unable to replicate his first-innings heroics in the second innings, as the rest of the bowling unit faltered in support of the team's may look to rejig their bowling combination for the second Test in Birmingham. It also remains to be seen whether Bumrah-who shouldered the bulk of the bowling workload in the first Test-will feature. The team management has confirmed that the fast bowler will play only three of the five Tests in the series.- EndsYou May Also Like
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
India pacer sent home after defeat to England in first Test: ‘He will have to fly back'
A day after India lost to England in the first Test of the five-match series, pacer Harshit Rana was reportedly released from the squad. According to a Times of India report, Harshit Rana did not travel with the rest of the squad members, who left for Birmingham, the venue of the second Test, on Wednesday. India's squad departed from Leeds by bus around 11:30 am local time. Mohammed Siraj with Harshit Rana (R) Rana was added to the main squad barely a couple of days before the series opener of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He was part of the India A side that played two first-class matches England Lions and was asked to stay back with the main squad as a backup pacer. This comes a day after head coach Gautam Gambhir had dropped a hint about Rana's release from the squad. "I haven't spoken to the chairman selector; I will speak to the chairman of selectors because there was a bit of a niggle in the group. That is why we wanted him as a backup,' Gambhir had said on Rana following India's defeat in the first Test. But at the moment, everything looks fine, so if everyone is fine, he would have to fly back," Gambhir said. Rana made his debut in Australia and was preferred over Prasidh Krishna at the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He also produced a good show in he first innings, picking three wickets but his inability to maintain the same level of consistency in the second innings and then in the next Test, made India look for other options. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who got five wickets in England's first innings, none of the other bowlers looked penetrative as the hosts chased down a target of 371 with minimum fuss on the fifth and final day of the match on Tuesday. The pace trio of Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur was not consistent enough with the line and length. "We will have to give them time. Earlier, we used to have four fast bowlers in the squad with an experience of more than 40 Tests. It doesn't make such a big impact in one-day or T20 matches, but when you go to Australia, England, or South Africa for Tests, experience matters," said Gambhir following the loss. "These are early days. If we start judging our bowlers after every Test, how will we develop a bowling attack? Outside Bumrah and Siraj, we don't have that much experience, but they (the others) have quality, which is why they are in this dressing room. "But we have got to keep backing them because it's not about one tour. It's about building a fast-bowler battery that can serve India for a long time in Test cricket."
