"He is always first name on the team sheet…"- Kris Srikkanth takes dig at Gautam Gambhir over selection of 'favourite' Harshit Rana

Kris Srikkanth said that Harshit Rana is Gautam Gambhir’s favourite player.

Former India opener Kris Srikkanth took a dig at head coach Gautam Gambhir after Harshit Rana was picked in Indian Cricket Team’s ODI and T20I squads for the Australia tour. Srikkanth joked, saying that Rana is a permanent member of the team as he is Gambhir’s favourite player.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads for the Australia tour on Saturday, October 4. Harshit Rana was among the few names that featured in both the ODI and T20I teams. The fast bowler has been a consistent member of the side across the formats ever since Gautam Gambhir has taken over as head coach.

Rana made his international debut in November 2024 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Since then, he has had opportunities across all three formats. The right-arm pacer was also part of the India squad in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as well as Asia Cup 2025.

Harshit Rana is a permanent because he is Gautam Gambhir’s favourite: Kris Srikkanth

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikanth took a dig at Gambhir after the India squad for the Australia tour was announced. He said that Rana is a permanent member because he is Gambhir’s favourite.

“Harshit Rana is a permanent because he is Gautam Gambhir’s favourite. He is always a certainty and the first name on the team sheet after Shubman Gill,” he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also questioned Nitish Kumar Reddy’s inclusion in the squad in Hardik Pandya’s absence. He feels that Ravindra Jadeja is the actual replacement for Pandya.

“Where did Nitish Kumar Reddy come from? If you ask them, they’ll say he’s Hardik Pandya’s replacement. But the actual replacement for Hardik is Ravindra Jadeja, not Reddy,” he said.

“Reddy will get clobbered in Australia in ODIs. If you’re picking him as an all-rounder, it’s not fair. He’s just a batsman who can bowl a bit. He wasn’t even part of the Champions Trophy team or in the ODI scheme of things. They’ve somehow squeezed him into the squad,” Srikkanth added.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill was appointed as India’s ODI captain ahead of the Australia tour, while Shreyas Iyer was named as his deputy. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made a comeback to the national team for the ODI series against Australia.

India’s tour of Australia 2025 will begin on October 19 with the first ODI. The second and third game will be played on October 23 and 25. They will then engage in five T20Is, which will be played from October 29 to November 8.

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