The Indian cricket team has announced the inclusion of young fast bowler Harshit Rana for the first Test against England in Leeds, set to begin this Friday. Harshit Rana, a 23 years old right-arm pacer, was not originally named in the main squad but had recently featured in the first unofficial Test between India A and England Lions in Canterbury.
Having made his Test debut in Australia, Harshit Rana has so far played two Tests and taken four wickets. While the team management sees potential in the youngster, his selection hasn’t gone down well with everyone.
Former India pacer Dodda Ganesh publicly questioned the decision, expressing frustration over what he described as an undue fixation on Harshit Rana. Without mincing words, Dodda Ganesh voiced his disagreement on social media, suggesting that Anshul Kamboj would have been a more deserving inclusion for the series.
Dodda Ganesh tweeted, “Anshul Kamboj should have been added to the squad. Don’t understand this obsession with Harshit Rana #ENGvIND”
https://x.com/doddaganesha/status/1934577545414086882
India has gone with four specialist pacers for the five-Test series against England, which has now been named the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The pace battery features Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh, while Shardul Thakur and Nitish Rana have been added as pace-bowling all-rounders.
Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami hasn’t made the cut, as the team management felt he lacked the necessary match fitness to handle the demands of Test cricket.
Dodda Ganesh didn’t stop at criticising the selection but also proposed his own playing XI for the series opener. He suggested Sai Sudharsan should be handed a debut and slotted in at number three, with newly appointed captain Shubman Gill moving to number four, a position left vacant after Virat Kohli’s recent retirement from Test cricket. He also backed Karun Nair’s return to the side and preferred Shardul Thakur over Nitish Rana as the all-rounder.
Notably, his XI does not include Kuldeep Yadav, as he opts instead for Ravindra Jadeja to handle spin duties singlehandedly. The former cricketer’s views have added to the growing discussion around team selection, spotlighting the balance between nurturing new talent and rewarding consistent performers.
