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Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has shared his views on why Harshit Rana has been preferred over Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in the India National Cricket Team. Kaif also mentioned that head coach Gautam Gambhir rates the Delhi-based pacer highly for his batting ability.
While speaking on Cricbuzz, Mohammad Kaif believes that the batters get the chance a bit later in the team than the bowlers, even if they keep performing in domestic cricket or even in the IPL; they do not get a chance easily with the competition in the team.
Mohammad Kaif shares masssive reason on why bowlers gets chances early than batters
Kaif answered the question of why fast bowlers get early chances due to injury concerns and workload management during their playing time. He talked about the likes of Gurnoor Brar, who is yet to feature in the IPL for Gujarat Titans, but he has already made his ODI debut and has been bowling well.
"If you are a batsman, you will get a chance to play later. If you keep performing in the IPL and wherever you are playing, there is still no guarantee that your name will be in the Indian team. But if you are a fast bowler, like Gurnoor Brar, who is part of the India setup but has not yet played an IPL match, you can still get opportunities."
Should Shami & Siraj be in contention for 2027 World Cup❓@MohammadKaif & @ImZaheer assess their chances 👇#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/wBY1RkGg31
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) July 21, 2026
"Fast bowlers are being fast-tracked because of the constant injury concerns and the difficulty of managing workloads. That is benefiting several players. You have Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, who has done well and has an excellent record, and Harshit Rana, who is also performing well."
Mohammad Kaif explains why Harshit Rana gets more preference
Kaif explains that Harshit Rana has been preferred over Mohammed Shami, and Siraj is due to the former’s batting ability. Harshit Rana has been handy as a batter and has played some good knocks for India during their tough times, and also has scored one half-century in the ODI as well, which has provided him the edge over other bowlers.
"Harshit Rana has another advantage—he can bat as well. He provides balance at No. 8, which is one of the reasons Gautam Gambhir rates him highly. Among the fast bowlers in contention, very few can contribute with the bat, and that gives Harshit an edge."
Mohammad Kaif names India's X-Factor in bowling attack
Mohammad Kaif also pointed out that his most impressive bowler and the X-factor for the Men in Blue side is Prince Yadav, as the pacer has been impressive during the IPL 2026 and has also earned him his maiden call-up for the India team. He impressed in his T20I debut with good pace and slingy action and can equally bowl well with the new ball and in the death as well.
Prince Yadav, post his debut, has picked 5 wickets in four games in the T20Is, and in the ODIs he picked 4 wickets in 3 games he played for the Men in Blue.
"If I have to add another name, it would be Prince Yadav. I believe he has the X-factor. He bowls with genuine pace and is capable of using the new ball, bowling in the middle overs, and delivering at the death."
