Ravichandran Ashwin backed coach Gautam Gambhir’s defense of Harshit Rana’s selection for Australia, condemning personal attacks on players. He cited his own experiences and stressed how online negativity can affect a player’s confidence and family.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has sided with head coach Gautam Gambhir's fiery rebuttal to criticism aimed at the selection of Harshit Rana for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia, starting on October 19.
Harshit Rana’s selection to the ODI and T20I squads for India’s white-ball tour of Australia, as many questioned his rationale behind his inclusion over more experienced players, given his limited international exposure and inconsistent performances. Former India batter and BCCI chief selector Kris Srikkanth alleged that Rana was merely a "yes man" to head coach Gambhir.
Following Team India’s 2-0 Test series sweep over West Indies, Gautam Gambhir did not mince his words as he gave a fiery reply to criticism, stating that Harshit Rana’s selection was based on merit rather than political influence and slammed ‘shameful’ online targeting of 23-year-old pacer, taking an indirect dig at Kris Srikkant.
‘No player should be attacked below the belt’
Ravichandran Ashwin also questioned Harshit Rana’s selection to India squads for the white–ball tour of Australia, but hailed him as an ‘X-Factor’. Following a fiery reply by Gambhir, the Indian veteran off-spinner softened his stance and expressed full support for Gambhir’s response to the criticism of Rana’s selection.
Speaking on his YouTube show, ‘Kutty Stories’, Ashwin stated that criticism against any players should be personal, while citing his own experience with Sanjay Manjrekar, who has critiqued Ashwin throughout his career, but did not hold any personal grudges against the former India cricketer.
“I have always reiterated that no player should be attacked below the belt. When the attack becomes too personal, the genre changes,” the 38-year-old said.
“I would like to talk about Sanjay Manjrekar, who has criticized me throughout my career. But I have never held any grudge against him. What they say might be right or wrong, as long as the criticism doesn't get personal, I am fine with it,” he added.
Harshit Rana’s selection has often come under scrutiny as the Delhi pacer continues to be relatively inexperienced at the international level, with critics questioning whether his performance in domestic cricket and limited international matches justifies his inclusion over seasoned players.
Online Criticism’s Impact on Player and Family
Further speaking about Gautam Gambhir’s rebuttal to Harshit Rana's selection criticism, R Ashwin stated that such negativity can profoundly affect a player's confidence and mindset, especially when their family is exposed to these online criticisms. He urged the cricket community to focus on players’ performance rather than resorting to distasteful remarks.
“Assume Harshit sees the reel in which he is being harshly criticized, and he is about to play a match for India, wouldn't he be shattered by this? And if his parents and friends see it, what will be their mindset?,” the veteran Indian cricketer said.
“We can definitely criticize their skill, their style of cricket, and the trade that they are plying. But it shouldn't get personal. It may be funny once or twice, but it shouldn't be a running theme. The reason they are doing this is that there is an audience for it. Negativity sells these days. They sell whatever is in demand. We should avoid consuming such content,” he added.
Following his breakthrough IPL season in 2024, Harshit Rana earned his maiden national call-up for the first two matches of the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe in July that year, but he did not get a single game. Thereafter, the 23-year-old was drafted to the India ODI for the Sri Lanka series, which was Gautam Gambhir’s first assignment as a head coach.
Rana made his international debut in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Perth. He was part of the Indian squad that won the Asia Cup this year, defeating Pakistan in the final.
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