The ex-India player Ravichandran Ashwin straightened things out and expressed his views regarding the decision of the selectors to include the pacer Harshit Rana for India’s ODI series against Australia. Harshit, who is a medium pacer, has somehow made his way to the Indian squad in all three formats even though he has had a very limited number of matches in the playing XI. The fans were in disbelief when they saw Harshit’s selection for the Australia tour and many even conjectured that it was Harshit’s KKR association with coach Gautam Gambhir that had made him a multi-format player.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin openly said that he was not sure of the thought process that led to Rana’s selection in the Indian team. On the other hand, the chairman of the BCCI selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, did not elucidate the reasons behind Harshit’s selection. However, Ashwin speculated that he might have been chosen because he could be useful with the bat.
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“Why they are bringing him in, I can’t tell. It would be great to attend the selection meeting and hear the rationales for his mentioning. From my perspective, the necessity for the fast bowler who can bat in Australia is the only reason for his selection. Somebody is confident that he can bat, that’s why they are picking him as a potential No. 8. But I have my doubts about his batting quality. Two years ago he bowled a brilliant pacy delivery in the IPL final that went off the edge (Nitish Kumar Reddy’s dismissal). He has been around for that one delivery for quite some time now,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin is not totally on board with Harshit’s choice but at the same time does not question the ability of the KKR pacer.
“Numerous individuals base their judgment on their presuppositions. However, it’s only when we deal with the situation directly that we will find out the truth. In the same way, Harshit Rana might be perceived in one way from afar. But only when he delivers a fast ball to you will you realize that he possesses something. The point of whether he is worthy of selection or not is a different matter; however, he has some X-factor and we should bear it in mind. But still, if you were to question me whether he meets the criteria for selection at this moment, I must say it is very questionable,” Ashwin stated.
