Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has courted controversy after lashing out at Harshit Rana's inclusion in Team India for the tour of Australia. Post the announcement of the official squad, Srikkanth made allegations of biasness in the selection process and accused the selectors of pampering the young pacer. In his YouTube channel, the former chief selector opined: "You don’t pick some players even if they do well and take others even if they don’t. Best is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected. You should start building towards the 2027 World Cup. But I feel they’ve not. If you pick Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy among the probabilities, then you can wave goodbye to the trophy." Also Read | Watch: Kid’s Wholesome Reaction After Spotting Virat Kohli During Practice Session Gautam Gambhir Hits Back at Srikkanth's Remarks Gautam Gambhir, under whose tutelage Harshit Rana has played since his days with Kolkata Knight Riders, came in the defense of the young man. After India's Test series against West Indies, Gambhir berated Srikkanth's comments as "unfair. He said: "Look, it's a little shameful. And I will be very honest with you. It is so unfair that you are targetting a 23-year-old kid for the sake of your YouTube channel. Because ultimately, his father is not an ex-chairman or an ex-cricketer or an NRI." In spite of Gambhir's strong words, Srikkanth still stood by his viewpoint. The ex-selector once again excluded Harshit Rana from his forecasted playing XI for the first ODI against Australia in favor of other pacers. Srikkanth's Predicted XI for First ODI Against Australia Srikkanth's forecasted playing XI consisted of: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna He chose Prasidh Krishna and Siraj as the opening fast bowlers, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, an all-rounder, was awarded an ODI debut opportunity. The spinners were Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar. Also Read | Watch: Virat Kohli’s Epic Reaction After Australian Fans Mock Him During Autograph Session Harshit Rana's Journey So Far Harshit Rana gained his first India call-up for Zimbabwe tour and subsequently played his Test debut in Perth against Australia, the lone India victory of the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has played two Tests, five ODIs, and three T20Is, with 10 wickets in ODIs and 5 in T20Is. Rana was also a member of India's 2025 Champions Trophy-winning team and remains a vital part of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Regardless of the criticism, the young seamer is still one of India's exciting fast-bowling prospects.