India coach Gautam Gambhir has finally broken his silence on fast bowler Harshit Rana’s absence from the unofficial Test series between India A and Australia.
Despite being selected for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rana was left out of India A’s squad for the tour of Australia. It came as a surprise as the youngster was expected to get some playing time in Australian conditions ahead of the Test series.
However, Harshit Rana was left out of the unofficial Test series and was instead part of India’s squad for the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai.
Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on Harshit Rana’s absence
During the press conference, Gautam Gambhir answered questions from the media regarding the selection and non-selection of various players. The head coach said that Rana has already played one first-class game this season and that is why he was not sent to play in Australia.
“He (Harshit Rana) played one first-class game against Assam. So we thought there was no point in sending him to Australia for another first-class game,” Gautam Gambhir said.
Harshit Rana received his first Test call-up recently in the third match of the Test series against New Zealand. Young was earlier picked for the five-match Test series against Australia, where he is among the five specialist fast bowlers for India.
Harshit Rana’s first-class record
Despite having played just 10 first-class matches so far, the 22-year-old has quickly made it into the Indian squad for such a high-octane series. Rana played 10 first-class matches in which he scored 43 runs at an average of 24, including 2 five-wicket hauls.
He played a first-class game against Assam in the Ranji Trophy this season. Playing for the Delhi team, Rana took 5-80 and 2-61 in the two innings of the match.
Gautam Gambhir previously worked with Harshit Rana in IPL 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders. Although Gambhir was the team’s mentor that season, Harshit Rana played a key role in KKR’s title win.
The former India opener admires Harshit’s skills and pace and believes he can be an asset in Australian conditions. While he is unlikely to play the initial part of the series, Rana could play a crucial role in the second part of the five-match Test series.
Other fast bowlers in India’s squad for BGT 2024-25
Apart from Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna are the other fast bowlers in the team. Nitish Kumar Reddy was selected as the fast bowler. Bumrah will be the spearhead of the bowling attack.
Harshit Rana’s inexperience in Australian conditions could be a disadvantage for him. While other bowlers like Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy got significant playing time in Australia, Rana was in India’s squad.
Fast bowlers like Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy were part of both the unofficial Tests against Australia. A. Krishna had a fantastic run and finished with 10 wickets in two matches at an average of 17.30. He scored 6 goals in the second game.
