“I’m Just a Nobody The Decision for India’s XI Is Up to Others” Kapil Dev’s Subtle Criticism of Gambhir, Rohit Over Harshit’s Selection

India’s fast bowler Harshit Rana was criticized for his poor performance in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Adelaide. His struggles were further highlighted after the Indian team’s 10-wicket defeat, with head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma facing backlash for supporting him. Rana had promised well on his debut at Perth taking three wickets including the wicket of Travis Head and going well in warm-up Canberra where he bagged four wickets on just six deliveries. The Adelaide test saw Rana return empty-handed, surrendering 86 runs in 16 overs, which incurred much of the wrath of cricket fraternity.

Many questioned his inclusion, especially when Akash Deep had apparently been coming better with the pink ball during the nets before the match. Former Indian captain Kapil Dev responded to the critique by saying that team management is responsible for the inclusion of players, and “I am not in there to judge their decisions being an outsider. “I am a nobody. How can I judge? There are people up there who have the responsibility to decide who should be in the team,” he said during the launch of the Vishwa Samudra Open, a PGTI event at the Delhi Golf Club.