Team India coach Gautam Gambhir has copped plenty of flak over selecting Harshit Rana, who once again struggled to make an impact in the second ODI against Australia as the Men in Blue crashed to a series loss. Netizens brutally trolled Gambhir by suggesting him to make Rana the next captain.
Having lost the first ODI in a rain-affected game in Perth by seven wickets, several fans and former cricketers anticipated for India to replace Rana with left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Nevertheless, India went for the must-win match in Adelaide with an unchanged line-up. But Rana seemed to have justified his selection with a useful cameo of 24 to take India to a competitive total of 264/9. With the ball, the youngster took the wickets of Travis Head (28) and Matt Short (74) but his last three overs went for 34 runs to finish with figures of 8-0-59-2.
Australia eventually chased down the target with two wickets to spare.
Watch netizens reactions to Gambhir backing Rana:
"It’s a little shameful" - Gautam Gambhir criticised Kris Srikkanth over his comments against Harshit Rana
With former selector Kris Srikkanth questioning Rana's spot for the tour of Australia, Gambhir had fired back on the ex-Indian cricketer. He said during the press conference after the series against the West Indies, as quoted by The Indian Express:
"Look, it’s a little shameful, and I’ll be honest with you. It’s unfair that you are not even sparing a 23-year-old kid to run your YouTube channels. It’s unfair because, after all, his father is not some ex-chairman, an ex-cricketer, or an NRI. Whatever cricket he has played, he has played on his own merit, and in the future too, he will play on his own merit."
The Men in Blue will look for a consolation win on Saturday in the third ODI in Syndey.
