The recent inclusion of Indian fast bowler Harshit Rana in the Indian squad for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia has stirred a wave of debate. There has been growing criticism surrounding Rana's selection, with former cricketers Kris Srikkanth and the legendary Ravichandran Ashwin questioning his inclusion in the squad. Krishnamachari Srikkanth didn’t mince words when he commented on the matter. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he had referred to Harshit Rana as "one permanent member in the team," implying that Rana’s spot was secured more through influence than consistent form. Meanwhile, India head coach Gautam Gambhir lashed out at the critics following India's seven-wicket win over West Indies in the second Test in New Delhi.

"Look, it's a little shameful, and I'll be very honest with you. If you do not spare a 23-year-old kid to run your YouTube channel, it's unfair. Because ultimately, his father is not an ex-chairman or an ex-cricketer or an NRI. Whatever cricket he has played so far, he has played on his own, and he will continue to play on his own. If you target someone individually, that is not fair. You can target people's performance, and there are selectors and coaches who target people's performance. But if you say such things to a 23-year-old kid, and then social media amplifies it even more, or in social media, you are told in such a way, imagine the mindset. In future, someone can target your kid too. Anyone can target anyone. At least you can realise that he is a 23-year-old kid," Gambhir said at the press conference. 

"He is not a 33-year-old kid. You can criticise me, and I can still handle it. But a 23-year-old boy, is a 23-year-old boy. That is something which is not acceptable. I think that is why we need to be careful. What you say, only to run your YouTube channel. I think you've got, every one of us, not only me, you guys, every one of us have a moral responsibility towards Indian cricket. Indian cricket doesn't belong to me. Indian cricket doesn't belong to me."

"It doesn't belong to people sitting in the dressing room. It belongs to all of you as well. It belongs to every Indian, who genuinely wants Indian cricket to do well. So you can criticise, but only on performance. Don't do it because you want to target an Indian.You want to target someone, you target someone. You target me, that's okay," Gambhir said.

Now, after completing a 2-0 series sweep against West Indies, India will travel to Australia to play a three-match ODI series and a five-match T20I series. The tour will begin with the ODI, with the first game set to be played on October 19 in Perth.