India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has lashed out at Kris Srikkanth after the latter had questioned Harshit Rana’s selection in the team. Srikkanth had said that the Delhi fast bowler is Gambhir’s favorite, but the chief coach reacted strongly to the former player’s comments.
Gambhir said targeting a 23-year-old boy for YouTube views is not fair, and Srikkanth should target him as he has no problem in dealing with criticism.
“Harshit Rana is a permanent because he is Gautam Gambhir’s favorite. He is always a certainty and the first name in the team sheet after Shubman Gill. Ask them to give a reason for retaining Harshit Rana. He is just a film cricketer full on antics. There is only one permanent member – Harshit Rana. Nobody knows why he is there in the team. Best is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected,” said Srikkanth on his YouTube channel.
After India registered a seven-wicket win against the West Indies, Gambhir said in the post-match press conference, “Look, it’s a little shameful and I will be very honest with you. If you are criticising 23-year-olds to run your YouTube channel, which is unfair. His father is not an ex-chairman, or ex-cricketer or an NRI. He has played cricket on his own merit and he will continue to do so. Targeting individuals is not fair. Target people on their performance, and selectors are there for that job. If you say horrible things about a 23-year-old on social media, what does that do to his mindset?”
“If your kid plays cricket tomorrow, imagine a scenario where he gets abused. He is a 23-year-old kid, and not 33. Criticise me, I can handle it, but he is a 23-year-old boy, so that is something not acceptable. There should be a moral responsibility towards Indian cricket and you should not do these things to help run your YouTube channel. This is not only in Harshit’s case, this is for others in future also.”
Rana is part of both the T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming series against Australia, and the fast bowler will be determined to prove his mettle.
