Gautam Gambhir gives a shutup call on Harshit Rana for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has finally broken his silence on the fast bowler Harshit Rana's absence from the unofficial Test series between India A and Australia played down under.

Rana was surprisingly left out of India A's squad for the Australia tour despite being chosen for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. It turned out to be a surprise as the youngster was expected to get some game time in Australian conditions before the Test series.

However, Harshit Rana was left out of the unofficial Test series and was instead a part of India's squad for the third Test against New Zealand at Mumbai.

Also read: IND vs AUS: Gautam Gambhir clears Rohit Sharma's picture; names Jasprit Bumrah captain, reveals India's openers

Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on Harshit Rana's absence

During a press conference, Gautam Gambhir answered the media's questions on the selection and non-selection of various players. The head coach revealed that Rana has already played one first-class match this season which is why he wasn't sent to play in Australia.

"He (Harshit Rana) has played one first-class match against Assam. So we thought there was no point sending him to Australia to play another first-class match," Gautam Gambhir said.

Harshit Rana received his maiden Test call-up during the third match of the Test series against New Zealand recently. The youngster was previously 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 playing just 10 first-class matches so far, the 22-year-old was fast-tracked into India's squad for such a high-octane series. Rana has played 10 first-class matches in which he has picked up 43 wickets at an average of 24 with 2 five-wicket hauls.

He has played one first-class match this season which was against Assam in the Ranji Trophy. While playing for his team Delhi, Rana picked up 5-80 and 2-61 across two innings of the match.

Gautam Gambhir has previously worked with Harshit Rana during their time with Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. While Gambhir was the team's mentor that season, Harshit Rana played a key role in KKR's title win.

The former India opener is impressed with 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 can play a crucial role in the latter 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 quicks in the squad. Nitish Kumar Reddy has been picked as a fast-bowling allrounder. Bumrah will be the spearhead of the bowling attack.

Harshit Rana's inexperience in Australian conditions could prove to be a disadvantage for him. While the other bowlers like Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, and Nitish Kumar Reddy got some important game time in Australia, Rana was with India's squad.

Fast bowlers like Prasidh Krishna and Nitish Kumar Reddy were a part of both the unofficial Tests against Australia A. Krishna had a fantastic series and finished with 10 wickets in two matches at an average of 17.30. He picked up 6 wickets in the second game.