India head coach Gautam Gambhir has firmly backed Harshit Rana after the pacer’s inclusion in the ODI squad for the upcoming Australia series triggered a storm of criticism. The 23-year-old has become the subject of intense debate, with several fans and experts alleging favouritism.
Criticism Around Squad Announcement
The backlash erupted soon after Ajit Agarkar announced the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series. Former cricketers Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Ravichandran Ashwin openly questioned Harshit’s selection, describing him as “one permanent member in the team” and terming the call “questionable.”
Many fans also expressed disappointment over the exclusion of Mohammed Shami, who was India’s joint-highest wicket-taker during the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
Gambhir Hits Out at Targeted Remarks
Addressing the issue in a post-match press conference after the West Indies series, Gambhir criticised those personally targeting the young fast bowler.
“It’s a little shameful that you are targeting a 23-year-old personally. Harshit’s father is not an ex-chairman. It is not fair that you target an individual. You can target people’s performance. And there are selectors and coaches who will target people’s performance. But if you say such things to a 23-year-old kid, and then social media amplifies it even more, or you are told so many things on social media, imagine the mindset,” Gambhir told reporters.
Gambhir also accused critics of making such statements just to boost their online visibility.
“What you say is just to run your YouTube channel. I think you’ve got, every one of us, not only me, you guys, everyone of us has moral responsibility towards Indian cricket. Indian cricket doesn’t belong to me. It doesn’t belong to the people sitting in that dressing room. It belongs to all of you as well. It belongs to every Indian who genuinely wants Indian cricket to do well. So you can criticise, but do it on performance. Don’t do it because you want to target an individual.”
Harshit Rana’s Performance So Far
Harshit Rana entered the international scene during Gambhir’s coaching era last year and has already featured in 10 matches across formats. In ODIs alone, he has claimed 10 wickets in five outings at an average of 20.70, showing encouraging signs early in his career.
A Call for Sensitivity
Gambhir urged critics to show maturity and restraint when speaking about young players. “In the future, your child can also go and play cricket. Anyone’s child can play. You can at least realise that he is a 23-year-old kid. He is not a 33-year-old kid. You can criticise me. I can still handle it. But a 23-year-old boy is a 23-year-old boy. So that is something which is not acceptable. I think that is why we need to be careful,” Gambhir added.
The three-match India vs Australia ODI series starts this Sunday, and the spotlight will be on Harshit Rana as he looks to silence his critics with performances on the field.
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