Harshit Rana Not Debuting in Third Test Against New Zealand
Coach Abhishek Nayar Confirms No Squad Additions
In a recent announcement, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar confirmed that uncapped bowler Harshit Rana will not be making his debut in the upcoming third Test match against New Zealand. Despite earlier reports suggesting Rana’s inclusion, Nayar clarified that no changes have been made to the squad.
Harshit Rana gained attention after an impressive Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders, where he took 19 wickets in 13 matches. However, he remains with India’s white-ball teams for now.
Focus on World Test Championship
During a pre-match press conference, Nayar emphasized the importance of each game as India aims for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. “No additions to the squad. Every week is critical, every day is critical. We have not been narrow-minded in thinking about WTC final. We want to focus on this match,” said Nayar.
Current Series Standings
New Zealand currently leads the three-match series 2-0, having won the first Test in Bengaluru by 8 wickets and the second in Pune by 113 runs.
India Squad
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
New Zealand Squad
Tom Latham (C), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (WK), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke, Kane Williamson, Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry.
Doubts Revealed
Harshit Rana -: Harshit Rana is a cricket player from India. He is known for playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Debuting -: Debuting means playing in a match for the first time. In this context, it means Harshit Rana was expected to play his first Test match against New Zealand.
Abhishek Nayar -: Abhishek Nayar is a former Indian cricketer and currently works as an assistant coach for the Indian cricket team.
Third Test -: A Test match is a type of cricket game that lasts up to five days. The ‘Third Test’ means it is the third game in a series of matches between India and New Zealand.
IPL 2024 -: IPL stands for Indian Premier League, which is a popular cricket tournament in India. IPL 2024 refers to the tournament that will take place in the year 2024.
Kolkata Knight Riders -: Kolkata Knight Riders is a cricket team that plays in the Indian Premier League. They are based in Kolkata, a city in India.
White-ball teams -: White-ball teams refer to cricket teams that play in shorter formats of the game, like One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 (T20) matches, where a white ball is used.
World Test Championship -: The World Test Championship is a tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to determine the best Test cricket team in the world.
New Zealand leads 2-0 -: This means New Zealand has won the first two matches in the series against India, leading with two wins and no losses.