Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir issued a sharp rebuttal on Tuesday amid persistent claims that Harshit Rana was picked for the ODI tour of Australia due to personal rapport. Former chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth had alleged earlier this month that the pacer was being favoured for being a “constant yes man” to Gambhir.
“Look, it’s extremely shameful. If you are criticising 23-year-olds to run your YouTube channel, that is unfair. His father is not an ex-chairman (of selectors), or ex-cricketer or an NRI. He has played cricket on his own merit and he will continue to do so. Targeting individuals is not fair,” Gambhir told PTI.
Controversy had erupted earlier this month after Srikkanth claimed that Rana had only made his way into the ODI squad for Australia due to his rapport with Gambhir. Gambhir had served as a mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2024 IPL season — while Rana recorded a breakout performance on the team. Retired cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has also voiced confusion about the selection of Rana in every format.
The indirect dig may have been aimed at Srikkanth’s son Aniruddha, who was once selected for India A to a tour of Australia at the time when the former captain was incidentally heading the selection committee. Gambhir further said that if Rana, who has 19 wickets in 10 games across three formats isn’t good enough, the selection committee will get rid of him.
“Target people on their performance, and selectors are there for that job. If you say horrible things about a 23-year-old on social media, what does that do to his mindset,” he questioned.
What have the critics 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,” Srikkanth said recently on an YouTube show hosted by his son Aniruddha.
“Why they are selecting him, I am not sure. I would love to be in the selection meeting to know the reason behind his inclusion. From my side, the reason I see is that in Australia we need that fast bowler who can bat. Someone trusts that he can bat, which is why they are selecting him as a potential No. 8. But I am not sure about his batting ability,” Ashwin had opined on his own YouTube channel.
The legendary spinner added that Rana “definitely has the ability with the ball” in his assessment. He opined that such selections also happened at times because “you observe something from a player at close quarters and gain belief in him”. Ashwin cited his own career and that of Ravindra Jadeja to note that questions about selection would continue irrespective of player performance.