The discussion surrounding pacer Harshit Rana is intensifying. Since his selection for the ODI squad in the upcoming series against Australia, criticism has been directed at both the young player and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
The conversation was ignited by former national selector Kris Srikkanth, who claimed that Rana is favored across all formats due to being a “constant yes man” to the ex-India opener.
Gambhir, known for his assertiveness, responded effectively to Srikkanth during a media briefing following the second Test against the West Indies. He did not hold back, urging for more discretion and caution, advising against making statements merely for the sake of gaining YouTube views. Ravichandran Ashwin has also entered the fray, emphasizing that personal attacks have no place in sports.
Ashwin, who had previously questioned Rana’s selection based on his IPL 2024 performance, supported Gambhir’s stance, asserting that criticism should be grounded in substance rather than being frivolous.
‘I have always reiterated that no player should be attacked below the belt. When the attack becomes too personal, the genre changes. I would like to talk about Sanjay Manjrekar, who has criticised me throughout my career. But I have never held any grudge against him. What they say might be right or wrong, as long as the criticism doesn’t get personal, I am fine with it,’ Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
‘Assume Harshit sees the reel in which he is being harshly criticised, and he is about to play a match for India, wouldn’t he be shattered by this? And if his parents and friends see it, what will be their mindset? We can definitely criticise their skill, their style of cricket and the trade that they are plying. But it shouldn’t get personal. It may be funny once or twice, but it shouldn’t be a running theme. The reason they are doing this is that there is an audience for it. Negativity sells these days. They sell whatever is in demand. We should avoid consuming such content,’ he added.
Since Harshit Rana’s debut aligned with the IPL retentions in 2024, discussions intensified regarding the pacer’s strong relationship with Gambhir. Although he was part of the T20I squad, the 23-year-old did not make his debut until after the IPL retentions concluded, when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chose him as an uncapped player.
Following this, the pacer debuted in all three formats of the game. However, the conversation took a negative turn after he was included in the squad for the ODIs against Australia.