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Delhi’s Harshit Rana and Andhra Pradesh’s Nitish Kumar Reddy received their maiden Test call-ups for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, adding youth and balance to the Indian squad.
The announcement of India’s 18-member squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia
On Friday 25 BCCI made the announcement of the Team India Squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The squad has fresh faces like Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy in the Star studded squad of Team India
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Gambhir’s Push for Harshit Rana
With the absence of Mohammed Shami, Gambhir saw potential in Rana, a young and promising fast bowler known for his pace and aggression.
“Harshit Rana has been completely Gautam Gambhir’s choice. He has been pushing his case for the longest time since the start of the Sri Lanka tour. He was also kept as a reserve bowler. Since he is younger and quicker than both Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar, he has pipped them to the final squad,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Rana, who consistently bowls at speeds over 140 kph, impressed selectors with his Duleep Trophy performances, where he secured two four-wicket hauls.
His success under Gambhir’s coaching at Kolkata Knight Riders further strengthened his case. A BCCI official remarked that Gambhir, believing in Rana’s speed and potential, had been advocating for his inclusion since India’s Sri Lanka tour.
Nitish Kumar Reddy as a Seam-Bowling All-Rounder
India’s struggle to find a suitable seam-bowling all-rounder became apparent after Hardik Pandya opted out of red-ball cricket, with Shivam Dube unavailable due to injury.
“Hardik Pandya has stopped playing red-ball cricket and Shivam Dube’s (he is injured) bowling isn’t up to the mark. Nitish is a work in progress but if India are to bring in balance, they need their fourth seamer to be an all-rounder. Hence Nitish is a desperate choice going by his IPL and Bangladesh series performance,” the source said of ‘Crickit’.
With few options, selectors turned to Andhra Pradesh’s Nitish Kumar Reddy. Known for his consistency with both bat and ball, Reddy has recorded one century and two five-wicket hauls in First-Class cricket.
His inclusion aims to provide balance, despite his relative inexperience, to maintain the team’s versatility in the upcoming high-stakes matches against Australia.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to begin on November 25 in Perth, with subsequent matches scheduled across iconic venues including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
Team India Squad
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Travelling Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed.
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