"He has played for a while for that one delivery" - R Ashwin questions Team India bowler's selection for AUS vs IND 2025 series

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin questioned pacer Harshit Rana's consistent selection in the national side across formats ahead of the upcoming Australian white-ball tour. The 23-year-old has been included in the Indian ODI and T20I squads for the tour down under.

Rana debuted for India in Tests in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy before making his way to the white-ball sides from the start of this year.

Ashwin believes the tall pacer might be in the side because of his exploits in IPL 2024, especially his fiery spell in the final against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). The former off-spinner also expressed his doubts over Rana's lower-order batting ability, which has seemingly been a key reason behind his selection.

Talking about India's persistence with Rana on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said (19:48):

"Why they are selecting him, I am not sure. I would love to be in the selection meeting to know the reason behind his inclusion. From my side, the reason I see is - In Australia we need that fast bowler who can bat. Someone trusts that he can bat, which is why they are selecting him as a potential No. 8. But I am not sure about his batting ability. Two years back he bowled a brilliant pacy delivery in the IPL final that flew off the edge (Nitish Kumar Reddy's dismissal). He has played for a while now for that one delivery."

Ashwin continued:

"But he definitely has the ability with the ball. I will not accept it if someone says he doesn't have the skill. He definitely does. Such selections happen sometimes because you observe something from a player through close quarters and gain belief in him. Today everyone hails Ravindra Jadeja as a great player. But a time was there when some asked why Ravindra Jadeja was getting picked. I've picked up 540 wickets yet there were people that asked why I was getting picked."

Rana impressed in the entire IPL 2024 season, picking up 19 wickets in 13 games at an average of 20.15, helping the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win their third title.

"He's got some X-factor" - R Ashwin

Despite questioning Harshit Rana's selection in the current squad, Ravichandran Ashwin acknowledged the pacer's apparent skill and potential X-factor. The youngster has played 10 games for India across formats and picked up an impressive 19 wickets.

"Many people make judgemental calls based on their assumptions. But only when we face the music on the ground, we'll come to know. Likewise, Harshit Rana might come across in some way from a distance. But only when you face a heavy ball from him, you'll understand that he has something. Whether he deserves selection or not is a secondary issue, but he's got some X-factor, let's not forget that. Yet, if you ask me if he deserves selection now, it's very questionable," said Ashwin (via the aforementioned source).

Rana was part of the triumphant Indian 2025 Champions Trophy squad, playing two out of the five matches and finishing with four wickets. Meanwhile, the Men in Blue will play three ODIs and five T20Is against Australia, starting October 19.