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Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh has raised serious questions over the selection process involving Jasprit Bumrah and Harshit Rana. Ramesh feels the India national cricket team management and selectors are not following the same rules for every player.
The issue has come up at a time when Bumrah is preparing to return after an injury, while Rana was brought back into the T20I squad without playing competitive cricket after recovering from the hamstring injury. Ramesh called for a proper explanation of his double standard. Earlier, Ashish Nehra revealed the truth about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s World Cup future.
Jasprit Bumrah faces fitness Test, but Harshit Rana gets direct selection
Jasprit Bumrah has been out of action since India’s ODI tour of England in July after his left knee problem returned. The injury had already troubled him since the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
This injury forced Bumrah to miss the recent Test series in Sri Lanka, which India won 1-0. Now, India’s premier fast bowler is expected to return to action later this week during the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan at home and the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
However, it is being said that Bumrah may have to play one or two domestic matches before being considered for India’s upcoming Test series against New Zealand and Australia.
Speaking about Harshit Rana, the young fast bowler had suffered a hamstring injury in February. He returned to India’s T20I squad in June despite not playing any competitive cricket before his comeback. Rana then suffered another hamstring injury during India’s tour of Ireland and England.
He spent the majority of his time at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru and has not played any competitive cricket. Yet, the Indian selectors have once again picked Rana for the Afghanistan T20I series without a competitive game under his belt.
Sadagoppan Ramesh exposes double standards in India’s selection process
Reacting to the issue, Sadagoppan Ramesh said that this is a clear example of the double standard in Indian selection. The former Indian opening batter believes that the same fitness and selection rules should apply to everyone.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Ramesh said, "It's being reported that because Bumrah hadn’t played a red-ball game since November last year, he must play the India A games against New Zealand for selection. It’s a fair rationale and the right decision. With him, it is a knee injury. Yet, you selected Harshit Rana straight from knee surgery into the squad. It’s so clear that some rules are excused for some at different times.”
Sadagoppan Ramesh questions why Harshit Rana gets special treatment every time
Ramesh also pointed out that even established players such as Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been asked to prove their fitness before returning. He questioned why Rana was selected directly after injury without any clear explanation from the BCCI.
The former Indian opener has stressed that the selection process must have the same standards for every player, regardless of their status. Amid this, India A squads vs Australia A: Hardik Pandya returns, Rajat Patidar IN; CSK-RCB stars lead.
He said, “Keep the parameters the same for everyone is what I am saying. In fact, the more established and proven cricketers are clearly the ones under the most pressure. Like Bumrah, even Shami was asked to prove his fitness. Yet, how Harshit Rana was picked straightaway from injury has been given no explanation, and the BCCI has never spoken about it.”
Big warning for Gautam Gambhir and selectors over Jasprit Bumrah
Ramesh also took a dig at Gautam Gambhir and his coaching team, and it talks about giving youngsters opportunities during India’s transition period.
The cricket pundit has further warned Gambhir and the selectors by saying that Bumrah remains a player India cannot afford to replace easily, so they must think twice before making any nonsense call in the name of transition.
He signed off by saying, “If this is the case, why not let Bumrah go in Tests? You anyway keep saying that in transition, we don’t want superstar players and bravely decide to go without them. Like that, say we don’t want Bumrah either. Obviously, you can’t because there is no other Bumrah.”
