Fans question Rana's selection over Siraj as Bumrah's replacement Newspoint  |  Feb 12 2025 10:44:44 IST

The love for Harshit Rana—who recently made his debut in all formats—seems to be overflowing from Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, as he selected him as the replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah. Not an experienced player, not a well-tested ODI performer—just a few matches old, yet Harshit Rana got the nod.


With Jasprit Bumrah's injury being serious, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee opted not to include him in the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai. Instead, they named Harshit Rana—who made his ODI debut in the England series—as his replacement. 


In another unexpected move, opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal was dropped in favor of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, whose standout performances in the T20I series against England earned him a spot in the squad. 

Fans unhappy with selection changes

The changes in India's squad have sparked widespread debate, particularly in light of recent developments. Jaiswal was given the chance to debut in the 1st ODI and open alongside Rohit Sharma against England. However, he was not a replacement for Virat Kohli, who missed the match due to injury but over Shreyas Iyer - the best No. 4 batter for India.


Now, in an effort to accommodate Varun Chakravarthy, the selection committee opted to drop Jaiswal, though he remains part of the reserves for the tournament. However, the inclusion of Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy has raised concerns about the level of influence head coach Gautam Gambhir holds in the selection process. 




According to a report by PTI, both players were chosen based on Gambhir’s recommendations. Notably, both Rana and Chakravarthy are also members of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Fans question: Why not Mohammed Siraj?

Fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to question the perceived bias toward KKR players and whether this trend would continue in future selections.


One user wrote, "Gambhir, you are the Indian team coach, not a KKR promoter. Giving Harshit Rana a chance ahead of Siraj is unfair. Stop playing cheap politics."




Another fan speculated, "Gambhir knew about Bumrah's injury long before it was diagnosed. He knew Bumrah wouldn’t recover in time for the Champions Trophy. He deliberately dropped Md. Siraj so that Harshit Rana could make it to the Indian ODI team. This is politics." 




One post read, "Siraj has been a reliable ODI performer, yet he’s dropped while an inexperienced Harshit makes the cut. Why is no one questioning this? ODI selection should be based on ODI performances, not Test struggles. Ignoring Siraj in a major tournament is baffling."



India’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy, 2025: 

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy. 


Non Travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required. 


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