India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday shared insights on the selection of Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. He said pacer Rana has done enough bowling to come out fresh against the Aussies. Gambhir praised Reddy, highlighting his potential to contribute to the team if given the opportunity. Gambhir also hinted at moving forward from certain players in the India setup. Shardul Thakur is one veteran fast bowling allrounder who was not picked for the Border Gavaskar Trophy and many experts were surprised. However, in Gautam Gambhir’s statement there was no direct mention of Thakur.

“It is also about moving forward and I feel that this is the best set of players that we have selected to do the job for the country,” Gambhir said..

Shardul was one of India’s heroes in the previous tour of Australia, picking up a handful of wickets and scoring a half-century. He has been the seam-bowling all-rounder in Tests in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries, and was part of the squad as recently as the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 Final.

“Nitish Reddy, we all know how incredibly talented he is. If given a chance, he will do well for the team. This is the best set of players we have selected to do the job for the country,” he stated.

Speaking about Harshit Rana not travelling with India A to Australia, Gambhir explained, “He’s had enough bowling. Important for a fast bowler to be fresh. It’s a five-Test series, so trainers and physios thought he is better off.”

Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy, two uncapped selections in India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, are coming after strong performances in the domestic circuit.

Following India’s shambolic fall against New Zealand on home turf, the road to the WTC final has become a tricky affair.

With a 3-0 series whitewash, India need to win the series by 4-0 to punch their ticket to feature in London for the WTC final for the third successive time, without having to rely on other results.

After the conclusion series opener in Perth, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.

The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series’ penultimate stage.

The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.

India’s squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.

Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.

With ANI inputs