Aakash Chopra exposes Gautam Gambhir’s cluelessness, raises questions on Anshul Kamboj, Harshit Rana

Former India National Cricket Team opening batsman Aakash Chopra has exposed the cluelessness of the Gautam Gambhir-led team management amid the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.

Aakash Chopra raised serious questions over the selection of Anshul Kamboj and the non-selection of Harshit Rana and stated that “there is no clarity” whatsoever regarding the Indian team management's game plans.

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Anshul Kamboj joins the India Test squad in England

India have been hit with several injuries at the same time on the England tour, with the latest casualty being the young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Reddy became the fourth India National Cricket Team star to get injured on the England tour after Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, and Akash Deep.

To add to this, Jasprit Bumrah, as per the pre-planned strategy, will only play three Tests on the tour, meaning he is only available for one of the remaining two Test matches.

India are trailing the five-match series by 2-1, and the injuries have caused chaos in the camp ahead of the fourth Test match at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Meanwhile, young speedster Anshul Kamboj has been added to India's squad as an additional pace-bowling option, and he is in contention to get his debut cap soon.

How do you determine who to keep and who to let go of? - Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra questioned why Gautam Gambhir-led team management selected Harshit Rana as an extra pacer earlier on the England tour and let go of Anshul Kamboj, only to add him later and release the KKR star.

“It's very interesting. There was a lot of chatter about Anshul Kamboj. He did well for India A as well, but when there was an opportunity earlier, the team management chose Harshit Rana first. Anshul was sent back home, and now we are learning about his name again,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“Harshit Rana is not there. Now you have to wonder, what actually goes on? How do you determine who to keep and who to let go of? If you talk about performances for India A, Anshul's performance was better, but you kept Harshit Rana looking at continuity,” he added.

Notably, Harshit Rana, who made his Test debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, was asked to stay back in England as a backup, and Anshul Kamboj, despite his exceptional performance for India A against England Lions, was released. Later, Rana was also sent back home after the conclusion of the first Test.

No clarity whatsoever - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra further said that Harshit Rana should have been called to England amid the injury crisis for the continuity factor, but the team management seems to lack clarity. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator felt that Anshul Kamboj is a deserving candidate for the job.

“If that was the case, then you should have kept Harshit Rana now as well. But he is not there; Anshul Kamboj is there. No clarity whatsoever,” said Aakash Chopra.

“Maybe the management knows, but nobody is telling us anything. This comes as no surprise. Anshul Kamboj was deserving; he is now with the team,” Aakash Chopra added.