There has been a lot of discussion about Harshit Rana’s presence in the squad off the field despite his limited appearances in the Indian colors in recent times. The criticism on the 23-year-old was simmering from the England series and reached a boiling point during the India vs West Indies series. The Head Coach Gautam Gambhir himself had to respond to criticism on Rana, and he did not mince his words.
However, on Sunday, when the Indian side plays Australia in Perth in the first ODI, Rana’s place will be something to be seen if he starts in the eleven or is part of the bench. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra, though, has picked up Rana over Prasidh Krishna in the attack.
“I will go with Mohammed Siraj. People have forgotten that he wasn’t part of the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup teams. Mohammed Siraj needs to be there, and he deserves it. So he will definitely be in the XI. I want to play Harshit Rana. There was a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna and him,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“Harshit Rana has been with the team for such a long time, and if the selectors and team management are seeing so much promise and potential in him, he should be played. These conditions will be good. He played in the Test match in Perth and did decently as well. He also bats a little,” he added.
What did Gautam Gambhir say?
Speaking at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Tuesday after India’s seven-wicket victory over West Indies to sweep the Test series 2-0, without taking names, Gambhir took aim at K Srikkanth for targeting Rana after the former World Cup winner and former India chief selector criticised the inclusion of the Delhi pacer in the squad that is travelling to Australia for three ODIs later this week.
“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 told reporters here. “Whatever cricket he has played, he has played on his own merit, and in the future too, he will play on his own merit.”
In a video on his YouTube channel, Srikanth had said: “Best is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected. There is only one permanent member – Harshit Rana. Nobody knows why he is there in the team. You don’t pick someone irrespective if they do well and take others even if they don’t.”
