Team India’s think tank has been questioned after Anshul Kamboj was added to the Test squad for the England series. The 24-year-old earned his maiden call-up after Arshdeep Singh was ruled out of the Manchester Test. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has raised concerns not on Kamboj’s selection but on the entire process.
Why wasn’t Harshit Rana picked?
Kamboj had taken 5 wickets in 2 matches for India A but was easily the best fast bowler for the entire series. Yet, when the time came, the management picked Harshit Rana as backup, who had made his Test debut in Australia. So, Kamboj was sent home.
“It’s very interesting. There was a lot of chatter about Anshul Kamboj. He did well for India A as well, but when there was an opportunity earlier, the team management chose Harshit Rana first. Anshul was sent back home, and now we are learning about his name again,” Aakash said on his YouTube channel.
Harshit was sent back after Akash Deep regained full fitness. A month later, Kamboj has been recalled over Harshit as a replacement for Arshdeep. One has to wonder why Harshit was picked before and not now, or why Kamboj wasn’t picked earlier. Aakash asks the same question.
“Harshit Rana is not there. Now you have to wonder, what actually goes on? How do you determine who to keep and who to let go of? If you talk about performances for India A, Anshul’s performance was better, but you kept Harshit Rana looking at continuity,” he added.
“If that was the case, then you should have kept Harshit Rana now as well. But he is not there; Anshul Kamboj is there. No clarity whatsoever. Maybe the management knows, but nobody is telling us anything. This comes as no surprise. Anshul Kamboj was deserving; he is now with the team,” he added.
