"It seemed like there was outside support thus far" - Aakash Chopra on Harshit Rana's potential debut in IND vs NZ 2024 3rd Test
Aakash Chopra reckons Harshit Rana might make his international debut in the third Test between India and New Zealand. He noted that the Delhi seamer wasn't fully supported thus far, as he was being picked in the squad but never included in the playing XI.
The final Test of the three-match series will start in Mumbai on Friday, November 1. Reports suggest that Rana, who was added to the squad after the second Test, will be part of the hosts' playing XI.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that Gautam Gambhir and the team management have invested in Rana but have not shown the full faith thus far.
"Harshit Rana is in the Test team. It's interesting. It's a young first-class career but he is being invested in. Gautam Gambhir's new management is investing in him. However, it seemed like there was outside support thus far, just like a coalition government, where you are with them but are still not there," he said (1:10).
"You went to Zimbabwe, then Sri Lanka, and after that, you were a part of the squad in the home series, but you didn't get a chance to play. However, you have been selected for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well. If you see his first-class career, he has played 10 matches in total but he took five wickets in the last match and scored a fifty as well. So he can bowl and bat," Chopra added.
Chopra reckons Jasprit Bumrah might make way for Rana in the Mumbai Test.
"It seems like the wait is over. He might get a chance to play here. There is a possibility that Bumrah might be rested as it seems like we have an extremely inexperienced attack for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and spin won't be as effective. So they might want to manage Bumrah and maybe there is a slight niggle we don't know about as he has played four consecutive Test matches. You do not want to risk him," he reasoned.
Chopra opined that Mohammed Siraj might partner Rana in the seam-bowling department. He claimed that Rohit Sharma doesn't seem to have enough confidence in Akash Deep as he wasn't given enough bowling even when the latter was among the wickets.
"You can assume he would have been retained by KKR as an uncapped player" - Aakash Chopra on Harshit Rana
![Harshit Rana excelled for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/10/00885-17302597001298-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Harshit Rana would have been retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as an uncapped player before making his international debut.
"One thing is that he might get a chance to play. The second thing is that the match will start on November 1, which means the retentions would have happened on October 31. You can assume he would have been retained by KKR as an uncapped player," he said (3:00).
The former KKR player added that the franchise would be as elated as Rana as they would potentially retain the seamer for a cheaper sum.
"After reaching an agreement, the deal might be set between four to seven crores. If he had gone as a capped player, at least 11 crores would have gone from their kitty. So we all believe he would have been retained slightly cheap. Harshit Rana might be making his debut but KKR would also be getting happy," Chopra observed.
With 19 wickets in 11 innings, Rana was KKR's joint second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024, alongside Andre Russell. Only Varun Chakaravarthy (21) took more wickets than the duo in the franchise's title-winning run this season.