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Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh has sparked a fresh debate over India's squad selection for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England. He has raised serious questions over the inclusion of young pacer Harshit Rana into the T20I squads.
Harshit's return to the India national cricket team has become one of the biggest talking points after the squad announcement. The young pacer has been away from the action for several months after suffering a serious ligament injury in his right knee before the T20 World Cup 2026.
Sadagoppan Ramesh slams selectors over Harshit Rana's surprise India recall
The injury forced Harshit Rana to miss not only the T20 World Cup 2026 but also the entire IPL 2026 season as he focused on recovering and getting back to full fitness.
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Now, Sadagoppan Ramesh accuses the national selectors of being biased in Harshit Rana’s case. He questioned the standards being followed for players returning from injuries. Over the last few years, several Indian stars have had to prove their fitness by playing domestic cricket before making a comeback to the national team. So, he was shocked that Harshit got the direct entry.
Sadagoppan Ramesh said in a video posted on his Instagram handle, “How have you selected Harshit Rana? I don't think he has played any domestic cricket after knee surgery. Nobody knows the answer to this. Just imagine Shami's mind voice now, or even the others' mind voice.”
Ramesh cites Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya examples in fresh attack on selection policy
The former Indian opener pointed out that some of the biggest names were asked to play domestic matches after injury breaks before being considered for selection again. Players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, and Mohammed Shami all had to show they were match-fit before returning to the India National Cricket Team.
He further noted, “Whether it was a Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, the management said they had to play domestic cricket to be considered for selection. Even when Hardik Pandya got injured, he was asked to prove his fitness for selection.
For Shami, they questioned if he could bowl longer spells after injury and asked him to prove himself after injury. The current T20I skipper, Shreyas Iyer, himself was asked to prove his fitness before the New Zealand ODIs by playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy.”
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India's fitness policy under scanner after Harshit Rana's T20I recall
Ramesh has stressed that these examples have sent a clear message of the system for injured players making a comeback, but Rana was drafted straight back into the squad without playing any domestic cricket since recovering from his knee problem.
His last appearance in Indian colors came in a warm-up match against South Africa before the T20 World Cup earlier this year. However, it remains to be seen whether Rana makes the cut to the playing XI in the upcoming T20I series in Ireland, starting on June 26 in Belfast.
The former cricketer added, “There are many such examples like this. So, they've set the precedent that if a player has to come back into the Indian team, especially after injury, he must prove himself and his fitness in domestic cricket.”
