In a team otherwise stacked with superstars, the steady construction of narratives around a 23-year-old is an aberration — yet, in Indian cricket, it has become the norm. With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj rested for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, the spotlight, once again, falls on Harshit Rana.
The pacer has not set the stage alight in Tests or T20Is, but he has carved out a niche in the ODI setup, claiming 16 wickets in 8 matches, including a four-wicket haul in his most recent outing against Australia in Sydney.
Allegation & Rebuttal
It was during that series that former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth accused him of being a ‘yes man’ to head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Nobody knows why Harshit Rana is there in the team. Best is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes man to Gambhir to be selected in the team.Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Gambhir, however, did not shy away from offering his rebuttal during a press conference.
It's shameful that someone wanting to run his YouTube channel is targeting a 23-yea-old. If you want to target me, do it. I can handle it, but trolling a 23-year-old kid for YouTube views is shameful. His father is not a selector. He has played cricket on his own merit. Don't target these young boys.Gautam Gambhir
Trolling Is Unfortunate if It Comes From a Former Player
Questions can be raised on Rana’s selection in all three formats, considering India’s pace options, but has the criticism been unfair on a player who has only recently stepped into the international arena.
During a conversation with The Quint, former cricketer and expert Aakash Chopra commented:
Trolling is something you eventually get used to. From a player’s perspective, you have to accept that some things are beyond your control. I won’t say it’s fair. Trolling is not fair at all. But there’s only so much you can do. Everyone has the right to an opinion, but when former players criticize current players, it stings differently. You see them as part of the cricketing family; they understand the pressures, the context, what you’ve been through. So when a former player trolls a current player, it hurts more than a casual comment from the media.Aakash Chopra
He further called the comments from Srikkanth ‘unfortunate’ and ‘avoidable.’
It was a personal opinion, but it was unfortunate and avoidable. A player doesn’t select or drop themselves; that’s the selectors’ job. You can agree, disagree, or voice your opinion, but there’s no need to be derogatory. Everyone should keep that in mind — the cricketing community is like a family. Social media can’t be controlled, and people will always speak their mind, sometimes crossing the line. But players must learn to handle it, even when it’s below the belt, because unfortunately, that’s part of the modern game.Aakash Chopra
Rana features as one of India’s three frontline seamers for this series, flanked by Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. It is now up to the young Delhi pacer to let the ball answer his critics.