Social media initially erupted with laughter over Harshit Rana’s absence, but the frenzy settled once he finally made an appearance.
Gambhir Hosts Team Dinner Ahead of Second Test Against West Indies
India head coach Gautam Gambhir hosted a special dinner for the Indian team at his New Delhi residence on Wednesday, ahead of the second and final Test against the West Indies. The squad arrived by bus in casual attire, and a clip quickly went viral showing players and support staff walking into Gambhir’s house in Rajinder Nagar. Social media initially joked about the absence of fast bowler Harshit Rana, though he later ended the frenzy by making an appearance.
The second Test of the two-match series will begin on Friday at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Gambhir’s open-air dinner for the squad and support staff aimed to foster camaraderie ahead of India’s upcoming overseas tour to Australia, starting on October 19.
India captain Shubman Gill, dressed in a t-shirt, blue denim, and black glasses, was among the first to step off the bus, followed by Jasprit Bumrah, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna, assistant Ryan ten Doeschate, and bowling coach Morne Morkel, mostly dressed in white. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla was also present.
Gautam Gambhir hosted dinner at his home for team India. Where is Harshit Rana?pic.twitter.com/poLZwXX5Nc
— Sunil The Cricketer (@1sInto2s) October 8, 2025
However, in a new video, Harshit Rana was seen arriving separately at the dinner, joining the party later. He will reunite with the team on the flight to Australia, having been selected for both the upcoming ODI and T20I series.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
— Mention Cricket (@MentionCricket) October 8, 2025
All-format captain Harshit Rana attends Gautam Gambhir’s dinner party. pic.twitter.com/R4wDVXqTyd
Controversy Surrounds Harshit Rana’s Selection for ODI Series
Harshit Rana’s selection for India’s upcoming ODI series against Australia has sparked widespread debate on social media. His inclusion in the Asia Cup squad had already drawn criticism, with many labeling him a “Gambhir favourite,” triggering a flood of memes online.
Despite continued backing from team management, Harshit has struggled to silence doubts about his performance. Fast-tracked into the Indian side after a stellar IPL 2024 under Gautam Gambhir’s mentorship at Kolkata Knight Riders, the right-arm pacer made his Border-Gavaskar Trophy debut, playing just two matches and taking four wickets at an average of 50.75, drawing heavy criticism. His economy rate in eight white-ball matches for India has been poor, exceeding 10 in the 2025 IPL season. In the Asia Cup, he played two games, taking just two wickets for 79 runs.
“You don’t pick some players even if they do well and take others even if they don’t. Best is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected. You should start building towards the 2027 World Cup. But I feel they’ve not. If you pick Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy among the probabilities, then you can wave goodbye to the trophy,” said former chief selector Kris Srikkanth on his YouTube channel after India’s squad announcement.
Srikkanth added, “Harshit Rana does too many filmy gimmicks. All these filmy reactions aren’t of any use, you’ve to actually bowl well. He does all these filmy reactions in the IPL as well. This is not a good attitude, it’s just showboating. He drives after the ball is already past him. Why dive after the goal has already been scored? Aggression is different, but showboating so much at a young age is why he got punished today.”
