Vice-President Rajeev Shukla of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) spoke with head coach Gautam Gambhir on the criticism young bowler Harshit Rana received for being included in the forthcoming white ball series against Australia.
According to many rumours, Harshit is Gambhir’s blue-eyed kid, which is why he is featured in all formats.
Fans and former cricket players questioned Harshit’s inclusion in the 15-man team for the series, which is set to begin on October 19, after head selector Ajit Agarkar announced the contingent for India’s white-ball tour of Australia last week.
According to Krishnamachari Srikkanth, a former selector of India, Harshit Rana is “one permanent member in the team” and should be included in the squad. Since Mohammad Shami was India’s joint-highest wicket-taker during the team’s undefeated run to the Champions Trophy earlier this year, some fans questioned Harshit’s selection.
Gambhir slammed Harshit Rana’s critics following India’s seven-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second Test at Arun Jaitely Stadium in New Delhi. Shukla also thinks that criticism should be given responsibly, so it does not bring down a player’s morale.
“Gautam Gambhir is right. If someone has any complaints about the players, then it should be done responsibly. This will bring the players’ morale down. It is the job of the team to select players. So, before you say anything about the players, you should think about how much responsibility you should take,” Shukla said while speaking exclusively to ANI.
Interestingly, Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut against England earlier this year, has taken four wickets in two ODIs. At Dubai International Stadium in Dubai, Harshit played his last One-Day International match against Pakistan at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
India’s ODI squad
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.