Gautam Gambhir Defends Harshit Rana: Amid the joy of clean-sweeping the West Indies 2-0 in the two-Test series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir took out time to hit back at criticism and allegations involving him and Harshit Rana, the 23-year-old pacer from Delhi, Gambhir’s home city.
Rana rose to the limelight last year following a terrific IPL campaign, where he helped Kolkata Knight Riders win the IPL 2024 title. Gambhir was the KKR mentor for that season before becoming India’s head coach late last year.
Soon after, Harshit Rana, who also can whack the ball and is being looked at as a future No. 8 in India’s white-ball sides, made his debut for India in all three formats and was part of India’s winning squads at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup 2025, though he didn’t make significant contributions as both tournaments were played in the UAE.
You don’t spare even a 23-year-old boy to run your YouTube channel: Gautam Gambhir Defends Harshit Rana
Fans and some experts, particularly former India captain and chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth, were irked by Rana’s selection in India’s ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming tour of Australia. Srikkanth even went on to say that Rana is Gambhir’s “constant yes-man,” and that’s how he retains his place in the squad.
Following India’s series win against the West Indies in Delhi, Gambhir lashed out at the “shameful” criticism of Rana’s selection.
“Look, it’s a bit shameful. And I will be very honest with you. If you do not spare even a 23-year-old boy to run your YouTube channel, it’s unfair. Because ultimately [Rana’s] father is not an ex-chairman [of selectors] or an ex-cricketer or an NRI. He plays cricket on his own merit. And he will continue to play on his own merit,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
“At least you can realise that he is a 23-year-old kid. He is not 33. Criticise me, I can still handle it. But a 23-year-old boy is a 23-year-old boy. I think that is why we need to be careful. What you say is only to run your YouTube channel.”
Harshit is likely to get opportunities during the Australia tour, which includes three ODIs and five T20Is, starting October 19.
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
