“Let's stop trolling anyone who plays for India” - Ex-Indian cricketer comes out in support of Harshit Rana amid harsh criticism

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has come out in strong support of the Indian pacer Harshit Rana, who has been subjected to harsh criticism for his selection across formats despite underperforming.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra asserted that it’s the selection committee’s call to include any player in the squad, adding that the captain and coach give inputs, but don’t get the voting rights for any player’s selection.

"People are trolling this kid a lot. It's not his fault that he gets picked in all squads. Anyone who plays for India gets picked by the selectors. Captain and coach also give inputs but don't have the voting rights. If after that someone keeps getting picked, then it's not that person's fault. You are pointing your guns in the wrong direction," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Furthermore, the former cricketer backed Rana to perform well in the forthcoming Australian tour. He also talked about his match-winning performances for Team India since his debut. While he has played two Tests, scalping four wickets, he pocketed 10 wickets in five ODIs. On the other hand, he managed to scalp only five wickets from three games in the shortest format of the game.

"I feel he (Rana) has got the potential. He can bat, whenever and wherever he has bowled, it seems that he's got the potential. I do feel that his debut was delayed so KKR could retain him as an uncapped player. That's still fresh in my memory. He was part of so many squads but only made his debut after KKR retained him,” he added. 

"Let's stop trolling anyone who plays for India. He has the potential and promise. He has been decent so far, gave a player-of-the-match performance as a concussion substitute, and bowled well against Australia in Perth. I will say give him some time," he concluded.

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