 "Delhi pacer Harshit Rana had collected back-to-back four-wicket hauls for India D in the Duleep Trophy in September. PTI")
Team India have reportedly made another change to their squad for the Test series against New Zealand, bringing in uncapped pacer Harshit Rana ahead of the third Test that gets underway at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Friday, 1 November. According to The Indian Express, the Delhi pacer is likely to make his Test debut on Friday against the Tom Latham-led Black Caps, who have already clinched the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead after victories in Bengaluru and Pune.
Rana, who has also been named in India’s squad for the marquee Test series in Australia starting next month, had earlier been named a travelling reserve for the New Zealand Tests. He was then released from the squad to play in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy fixture against Assam, where he shone with ball (5/80 and 2/61) as well as with bat (59).
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Rana also had a superb run in the Duleep Trophy in September, in which he collected a four-wicket haul in back-to-back games for India D, finishing with eight wickets at an average of 19.12.
The Kolkata Knight Riders pacer would then be included in India’s squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh that preceded the New Zealand Tests, but was ultimately not included in any of the matches, as a result of which he remains an uncapped player ahead of the IPL retention deadline that has been set for 5 pm on Thursday, 31 October by the BCCI.
The surface at the Wankhede Stadium for the third Test reportedly is set to be a “sporting track” that has a bit of grass on it and will be good to bat on on the opening day before assisting spinners from Day 2. If he gets his maiden cap on Friday, Rana will likely replace pacer Akash Deep, making him the third seamer to share the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah this series after Mohammed Siraj in Bengaluru and Akash in Pune.
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New Zealand had earlier clinched the three-match series with a game to spare after collecting a 113-run victory at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium inside three days. Not only have the Black Caps won a Test series on Indian soil for the first time ever, it was also India’s first Test series loss since their 2-1 defeat against England in December 2012.
Updated India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana.