India head coach Gautam Gambhir has slammed former India chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who had lambasted the team management for the inclusion of Harshit Rana in the ODI squad for the Australia tour. Gambhir did not mince his words and blasted Srikkanth for his take on Harshit.
“Look, it’s a little shameful, and I’ll be honest with you. It’s unfair that you are not even sparing a 23-year-old kid to run your YouTube channels. It’s unfair because, after all, his father is not some ex-chairman, an ex-cricketer, or an NRI,” Gambhir said during the post-match press conference in New Delhi after India won the second Test by 7 wickets to sweep the series 2-0 against West Indies.
“Whatever cricket he has played, he has played on his own merit, and in the future too, he will play on his own merit (Wo jitni bhi cricket khela hai apne damm par khela hai aur aage bhi apne damm par khelega). Targeting someone individually is not fair. You can target someone for their performance, and for that, there are people… there are selectors,” he added.
Gambhir said he can take all the criticism thrown his way, but targeting young boys in the team is unfair.
“But when you say such things to a 23-year-old kid, and then social media amplifies it even more… just imagine his mindset when he hears all this. Tomorrow, even your kid could end up playing for the country. The least one can do is realise that he is not 33 years old; he is just 23. You can criticise me; I can handle it. But a 23-year-old boy is a 23-year-old boy, and this is unacceptable,” he said.
“The Indian cricket team does not belong to the people sitting in the dressing room; it belongs to every one of you. It is your moral responsibility to understand what to say. This is not only about Harshit’s case. In the future as well, don’t target these young boys. Target their performance, not the individual,” added Gambhir.
Srikkanth’s take on Harshit
Opening up on the multiple squad reshuffles in the ODI set-up and questioning the decision to omit Sanju Samson from the back-up wicket-keeper’s spot, Srikkanth slammed the selectors for creating insecurity among players. Srikkanth then turned his focus on Harshit Rana who made his debut across formats within four months since November 2024. A member of the recent Asia Cup-winning squad, Rana was picked up as one of the four specialist pacers in the ODI squad for the three-match series in Australia.
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“By making such selections constantly, they are confusing the players themselves. Even we aren’t sure everyday what the selection will be. Suddenly Yashasvi Jaiswal is there and then next minute he won’t be there. There is only one permanent member – Harshit Rana. Nobody knows why he is there in the team. By chopping and changing all the time, they’ll dent the confidence of the players
“You don’t pick some players even if they do well and take others even if they don’t. Best is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected. You should start building towards the 2027 World Cup. But I feel they’ve not. If you pick Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy among the probabilities, then you can wave goodbye to the trophy,” an unfiltered Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
