Former India chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth did not hold back in his criticism of the team management for including Harshit Rana in the ODI squad for the Australia tour. He highlighted the constant reshuffling in the squad and questioned the omission of Sanju Samson from the backup wicket-keeper position. Srikkanth focused particularly on Harshit Rana, who debuted across formats within four months starting November 2024 and was part of the recent Asia Cup-winning squad. Rana was selected as one of the four specialist pacers for the three-match ODI series in Australia.
Srikkanth stated, “By making such selections constantly, they are confusing the players themselves. Even we aren’t sure every day what the selection will be. Suddenly Yashasv Jaiswal is there and then 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.”
He went on, “You don’t pick some players even if they do well and take others even if they don’t. Best 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,” emphasizing his point on his YouTube channel.
Rana Test Debut
Rana made his Test debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of Australia last year, impressively picking up four wickets in two matches. He made his ODI debut against England and later featured in the ODI Champions Trophy squad in the UAE. However, his performance in the Asia Cup was disappointing, conceding 79 runs for two wickets in two games. Srikkanth had condemned Rana previously when the Delhi pacer leaked 54 runs for one wicket against Sri Lanka in the Super 4s stage.
Speaking about Rana’s playing style and attitude, Srikkanth criticized, “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’s remarks also questioned the selection strategy’s impact on players’ confidence and the team’s ability to build towards future goals like the 2027 World Cup, pointing out that constant chopping and changing could harm the team’s chances
