Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Harshit Rana has rightly been included in the Men in Blue’s squad for the third ODI against Afghanistan despite not playing any domestic cricket. He highlighted that the right-arm seamer would have proved his fitness in simulation matches in the Center of Excellence (COE), as no domestic cricket is being played currently.
The final ODI of the three-match series between India and Afghanistan will be played in Chennai on Saturday, June 20. The hosts have already sealed the series with emphatic wins in the first two games.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former India batter pointed out that the selection happened as per protocol, although the truth might be bitter for Rana’s critics.
“Harshit Rana’s name has come in the Indian team. Someone was asking me how Harshit’s name came when he hasn’t played any domestic cricket. So let me just tell all of you that the rule to play domestic cricket is only applicable when domestic cricket is happening. Apart from that, you come after playing a few simulation matches in the COE, and it’s equal for everyone,” Chopra said.
“I understand that Harshit Rana gets a lot of hate, and you might say that I am doing PR in this video. I am not doing PR. I am just explaining the protocol to you. The protocol is the same for everyone. You don’t like me saying this, but it’s the truth, and it feels bitter automatically,” he added.
Harshit Rana was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 due to a right knee injury. He even missed IPL 2026 and hasn’t played any competitive cricket for more than five months.
“The same is true for Harshit Rana” – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya also potentially returning to the Indian side without playing domestic cricket
In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya will also potentially return to the Indian side without playing any domestic cricket.
“If Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya play now, they won’t get a chance to play anything in between, but they will straightaway walk into the team because you will already come after practising and doing match simulation in the COE. The same is true for Harshit Rana,” he said.
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Rana couldn’t have waited for the domestic season to start to prove his fitness.
“Whether you like him or you hate him, you will have to understand one thing. The rules will remain the same for everyone. Don’t focus on a specific person and follow the protocols. If domestic cricket is happening, you ask players to come after playing one or two matches, so that we get to know (about their fitness), but if domestic cricket is not happening, will he not play cricket for six months? It doesn’t make sense,” Chopra observed.
Harshit Rana has picked up 26 wickets at an economy rate of 6.21 in 14 ODIs. The Delhi seamer has also been picked in the Indian squads for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England and the Asian Games 2026.
Edited by Kartik Iyer
