Krishnamachari Srikkanth, former chairman of selectors for India, challenged the team management's decision to put Harshit Rana in the ODI squad for the Australia tour on Saturday. He also pondered what Sanju Samson had done wrong to be dropped from the backup ODI keeper position.
Srikkanth raised his concerns, particularly over Harshit Rana, who debuted across formats in four months since November 2024.
Harshit Rana, a member of the recent Asia Cup 2025 winning side, has been named one of four specialist pacers for the three-match ODI series in Australia. The selection has raised controversy over the team's strategy and player selection standards.
“By making such selections constantly, they are confusing the players themselves. Even we aren't sure every day what the selection will be. Suddenly, Yashasvi Jaiswal is there, and then the next minute, he won't be there. There is only one permanent member—Harshit Rana. Nobody knows why he is there in the team. By chopping and changing all the time, they'll dent the confidence of the players," Srikkanth stated on his YouTube channel.
Srikant further said that Harshit Rana was a favorite of Gautam Gambhir and questioned the selection criteria.
"You don't pick some players even if they do well and take others even if they don't. The best thing is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected. You should start building towards the 2027 World Cup. But I feel they've not. If you pick Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy among the probabilities, then you can wave goodbye to the trophy,” he added.
Harshit Rana rose to prominence for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under Gautam Gambhir’s mentorship. He made his India Test debut in Australia, and his ODI and T20I debuts came against England. He was part of India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 winning squad.
In the recent Asia Cup game against Sri Lanka, Rana went for 54 runs in his four overs for one wicket, and Srikkanth criticized his performance.
"Harshit Rana does too many filmy gimmicks. All these filmy reactions aren't of any use; you've to actually bowl well. He does all these filmy reactions in the IPL as well. This is not a good attitude; it's just showboating. He drives after the ball is already past him. Why dive after the goal has already been scored? Aggression is different, but showboating so much at a young age is why he got punished today," Srikkanth remarked about Rana's on-field behavior.
The conversation around Rana's selection and performance mirrors broader worries about striking a balance between giving young players opportunities and maintaining squad consistency. The controversy continues as India prepares for their upcoming series with Australia.
