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Gautam Gambhir Slams Critics Over Harshit Rana Selection, Denies Favouritism
Gautam Gambhir Slams Critics Over Harshit Rana Selection, Denies Favouritism Allegations: 'Attack Me, Not Him'
Gautam Gambhir defended 23-year-old Harshit Rana amid criticism over his inclusion in India's Australia tour squads. Gambhir stressed Rana earned his spot on performance, condemning personal attacks and urging support for young players instead of social media trolling.
India coach and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir has come out in strong defense of young pacer Harshit Rana following criticism over his selection for India's upcoming tour of Australia. The 23-year-old was named in both the ODI and T20I squads, prompting questions about favoritism from some former cricketers.
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticized Rana's inclusion, sarcastically calling him the “only permanent member” of the team. Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also expressed curiosity about the selection process, saying he would have loved to attend the selection meeting to understand the reasons behind Rana's repeated inclusion.
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Gambhir, who has been closely associated with Rana through their Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) connection, dismissed claims of favoritism. “It is shameful and unfair to target a 23-year-old. His father is not an ex-chairman or connected to anyone. He is in the team because of his performance and will be judged based on his performance,” Gambhir said.
He added, “Criticize me if you want, I can handle it. But leaving a young player alone is important. Social media trolling is not right. Tomorrow, anyone's child could play for the country. We all have a moral responsibility to protect Indian cricket and not target young players.”
The controversy stems from Rana's repeated selection across formats and his association with Gambhir at KKR. Critics suggest this connection might have influenced his continued inclusion, raising debates among cricket experts and fans about transparency in the selection process.
Despite the criticism, Gambhir emphasized the importance of encouraging young players and giving them a fair chance. He urged critics to direct their attention at him rather than targeting up-and-coming cricketers.
Harshit Rana will now have the opportunity to prove himself on the international stage in Australia, and Gambhir remains confident that performance, not connections, will determine his future with the national team.
India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.
India's T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
Source: ZeeNews
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As New York City's mayoral race enters its final stretch, early voting has ended and around five million registered voters are preparing to head to the polls on Tuesday, November 4, to choose the city's next leader. While Election Day is not a federal holiday
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