Cricket Controversy: Gambhir Defends Young Players

India's coach Gautam Gambhir criticized former selection chief Kris Srikkanth for suggesting Harshit Rana's selection was due to personal favoritism. Gambhir defended the young player's merit-based selection and condemned the criticism as unfair and harmful to young players' mindsets. He urged critics to responsibly address social media negativity.

India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has strongly rebutted allegations made by former selection chairman Kris Srikkanth regarding the selection of bowler Harshit Rana for the ODI tour of Australia. The accusations suggested Rana was chosen due to being a 'yes man' for Gambhir.

Gambhir, after India's Test series success against West Indies, condemned Srikkanth's public criticism of Rana, a young player trying to establish his career on merit. He emphasized the unfairness of targeting a 23-year-old to drive YouTube traffic, implying that such baseless allegations can damage a player's morale.

While not directly naming Srikkanth or his event-linked son, Gambhir highlighted the potential harm of unfounded comments on social media. He stressed the responsibility of critics towards the future generation of Indian cricketers, calling for focus on performance-based evaluation instead.

(With inputs from agencies.)