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Former leg-spinner Amit Mishra weighed in on the backlash that young speedster Harshit Rana has faced, which stems from his inclusion across three formats and the support he has received from head coach Gautam Gambhir and his regime.
Since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's white-ball squads for the Australia tour, scheduled to commence on October 19, fans and former cricketers have been debating the removal of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill's promotion to the ODI captaincy. Apart from the shift in leadership hierarchy, Harshit's inclusion in the 50-over fixtures has raised many eyebrows. Former captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth and decorated spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared their thoughts on the 23-year-old's inclusion in the format, classifying it as "questionable". Mishra believes Harshit's "wicket-taking" ability makes him an ideal fit for the tour. Apart from his special skill, the 42-year-old advocated for the youngster to prosper, courtesy of the swing and length he generates, a factor that troubles the Australian batters. "He has swing, length and pace. He constantly bowls in the range of 135 to 140 kph. The best thing about him is that he has the wicket-taking ability, which is important in Australia. Their batters struggle against swing, as well as line and length. If you give someone a chance, only then will the player get experience. The management is looking at youngsters, and Harshit is among them," Mishra said while speaking exclusively to ANI. Mishra highlighted Harshit's recent exploits, which saw him scalp 15 wickets in 13 appearances for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, to emphasise the youngster's scorching form. Among his most recent outings, Harshit scythed 3/61 during India A's nerve-jangling win over Australia A in Kanpur during the third unofficial List A fixture. The former Indian ball tweaker emphasised the need to provide youngsters with opportunities to prove themselves. He even cited Jasprit Bumrah as an example, who entered the Indian setup as a potential prospect and went on to become the current world's best. "He has done well for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL. He should get the chance. When Bumrah came, he was new, and he got the chance to perform. Slowly, he started playing all formats. So this is how it happens: a player is tested in different formats. The best thing is that everyone is getting the opportunity. Youngsters have the opportunity to show their potential," he added. India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)
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