Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has slammed the Indian team management on Harshit Rana’s inclusion following back-to-back series losses in the UK. Rana, who recently returned to the team after a knee injury he picked up before the T20 World Cup, suffered a hamstring injury during the 3rd T20I between India and England and on Thursday, it emerged he was not available for selection for the remaining two games of the five-game rubber.
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Rana, before returning to the Indian team last month during the Afghanistan ODIs, had undergone surgery earlier in the year and had to miss Kolkata Knight Riders’ Indian Premier League campaign. “How did Harshit Rana get selected directly into the Indian team without proving his fitness anywhere after surgery? If you haven’t fully recovered from a knee surgery, then it leads to a hamstring or quad injury next as has happened with him. It’s clear he didn’t return to the Indian team at 100% fitness. It’s the evidence of how there are different yardsticks for different players. India will produce results again only if they correct this issue,” Ramesh expressed his unhappiness on his YouTube channel.
Harshit excluded for Zimbabwe T20Is
In the middle of the ongoing series, India also announced their squad for a T20I series in Zimbabwe, and Rana wasn’t part of it. Ramesh pounced on this point. “The fact that they rested him for the Zimbabwe tour and the squad was announced before this injury made it clear that they rested him knowing that he wouldn’t be able to play back-to-back series,” he said.
India lost at Bristol last night and now trail 3-0 in the series, their back-to-back series losses after a 2-0 drubbing by Ireland last month. Ramesh, who played 19 Tests and 24 ODIs from 1999-2001, was of the opinion that the Indian team management had lost its faith in spinner Ravi Bishnoi after he conceded 29 runs in an over in the second T20I to cost the visitors dear. Bishnoi also bowled three no-balls in that match. Varun Chakaravarthy also didn’t play in the fourth game on Thursday on account of one more hamstring injury for the visitors. Washington Sundar was brought into the Playing XI as a result. “India were forced to play him [Sundar] despite England having only two left-handers because of Varun Chakaravarthy’s injury. It’s also clear that India don’t trust Ravi Bishnoi,” said Ramesh.
The fifth and last game of the series will be played at the Ageas Bowl on Saturday.