Rana's numbers are not flattering, he had an ordinary IPL, opines Chopra

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned Harshit Rana’s selection in India’s Asia Cup squad, saying that the seam-bowling all-rounder’s ‘numbers are not flattering’ and he had an ordinary time in IPL 2025.

Rana made his T20I debut earlier this year as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube and went on to pick three wickets for 33 runs in India's win over England in Pune. In IPL 2025, Rana claimed 15 wickets in 13 games for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at an average of 29.86, with his economy rate being at 10.18.

"Harshit Rana's case is very interesting. His case needs to be discussed because he came as a concussion replacement for Shivam Dube once, picked up three wickets as well, and became the Player of the Match, which was brilliant, but what about before and after that?"

"The last IPL was extremely ordinary. His performances have not been very good. His numbers are not flattering. It doesn't seem like his numbers are strong enough to deserve a place in the side," said Chopra on his YouTube channel on Wednesday.

He also felt someone like Mohammed Siraj or Prasidh Krishna could have been better picks ahead of Rana in India’s fast bowling department comprising of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya. "The truth is also that he won't get to play all matches. In fact, he might get to play even one match when Bumrah isn't available.”

"If he isn't getting a chance to play, you would say that whoever is sitting out doesn't make a difference. However, if you see the recent record, you will find that Prasidh Krishna should have got a chance, or you could have thought about rewarding Mohammed Siraj. But the team has once again gone towards Harshit," added Chopra.

--IANS

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