Kris Srikkanth accuses Gautam Gambhir of favouritism for Harshit Rana’s Australia tour selection

Former Team India captain Kris Srikkanth criticized the team management for including pacer Harshit Rana in the ODI squad for the upcoming Australia tour. The cricketer-turned-commentator also stated that Rana is consistently picked in the Indian squad because he is head coach Gautam Gambhir’s favorite.

Despite the absence of several senior players, Rana was named in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming Australia tour. He has played just five ODIs, taking 10 wickets at an average of 20.70 with an economy rate of 5.69. Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Prasidh Krishna are the other pacers in the India squad.

Harshit Rana Is Gautam Gambhir's Favorite - Kris Srikkanth

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kris Srikkanth said that Gautam Gambhir has been showing favoritism toward Harshit Rana. Srikkanth stated that Rana is a regular pick because he is “Gautam Gambhir’s favorite,” adding that he is the first name on the team sheet after Shubman Gill.

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"Harshit Rana is a permanent because he is Gautam Gambhir's favorite. He is always a certainty and the first name in the team sheet after Shubman Gill," Srikkanth said.

Harshit, who was part of India’s recent Asia Cup-winning squad, made his international debut across formats within just four months. Jasprit Bumrah, who featured in both the Asia Cup and the West Indies Test series, has been rested for the ODI leg of the upcoming Australia tour.

Where Did Nitish Kumar Reddy Come From? - Kris Srikkanth

The former Indian opener also questioned the inclusion of Nitish Kumar Reddy in the ODI squad. Srikkanth stated that Nitish Kumar is not a genuine all-rounder and would struggle on Australian pitches. He added that Reddy is primarily a batsman who can bowl and does not fit into India’s ODI plans.

"Where did Nitish Kumar Reddy come from? If you ask them, they'll say he is Hardik Pandya's replacement. But the actual replacement for Hardik is Ravindra Jadeja, not Nitish Kumar Reddy. Nitish Kumar Reddy will get clobbered in Australia in ODIs," Srikkanth stated.

"If you take him by considering him as an all-rounder, not at all fair. He is just a batsman who can bowl. He wasn't even there in the Champions Trophy team. Nitish Kumar Reddy wasn't even in the ODI Scheme of things. They've adjusted somehow to get him into the squad."

They Want to Make Shubman Gill the All-Format Captain - Kris Srikkanth

Kris Srikkanth believes that the management is backing Shubman Gill as part of plans to groom him as India’s future all-format captain. However, Gill struggled in the Asia Cup, scoring 127 runs in seven innings at an average of just 21.16 without a fifty.

"He wasn't there in my Asia Cup squad itself. But they will persist with him because they want to make him the all-format captain. It is very obvious. Irrespective of whether he scores big or not, he'll be made the all-format captain," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

Team India will kick off their white-ball tour of Australia with three ODIs, followed by a five-match T20I series. Gill has been appointed India’s ODI captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the T20I side, with Gill serving as his deputy.

Also read: Suryakumar Yadav safe for now as BCCI puts Shubman Gill’s T20I captaincy dreams on hold till..