For Harsh Dubey's growth and confidence, former bowler Mohit Sharma pointed out that Team India shouldn't have dropped him from the playing XI immediately following his debut. The left-arm spinner was one of three players dropped from the Indian side for the second ODI against Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 17, at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

In the rain-shortened series opener at Dharamshala, Harsh Dubey made an exciting debut for his country, scoring 3-47 following a costly first over. But in the second ODI, the youngster’s early momentum was curtailed when he had to make room for frontline spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Mohit stated that India could have persisted with Harsh Dubey, and this decision might have hit him hard, even with proper communication by the team management.

"The decision that has disappointed me is that one, the one to drop Harsh Dubey. They could have given him one more chance. You have already seen Kuldeep Yadav, and what he can do; he is a player for the big matches; he has performed a lot for the team, so Dubey should have been given another go," Mohit Sharma said on Cricbuzz.

"He must be thinking, even after team management's reassurance, that had he bowled that first over in the last match also well, he might not have been dropped now. He must be thinking he would have gotten to play the entire series, and that would have boosted his confidence a lot. So, I feel disappointed for him," he added.

Harsh Dubey was coming off a very good IPL 2026 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), as he took eight wickets in eight matches at an average of 28.50, before receiving his maiden India call-up.