Mukesh Kumar Takes Subtle Dig at Gautam Gambhir for Adding KKR’s Harshit Rana in Test Squad

Just before India's Test series against England, Mukesh Kumar's alleged social media jab at Gautam Gambhir for picking Harshit Rana has riled up fans.

Mukesh Kumar Takes Subtle Dig at Gautam Gambhir for Adding KKR’s Harshit Rana in Test Squad

Mukesh Kumar, Harshit Rana and Gautam Gambhir (via Newsbytes, Hindustan Times and ESPN Cricinfo)

Just a day ahead of the start of India’s first Test against England, Mukesh Kumar’s cryptic social media message aimed at Gautam Gambhir has left fans in a frenzy. The 31-year-old pacer took a subtle dig at Gambhir for adding Harshit Rana as a cover for the team in England. 

Harshit Rana’s inclusion in India’s Test squad has triggered fresh controversy. Rana, a late addition, is intended as a backup for star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been battling with recurrent injury issues. Bumrah has been advised to be cautious in terms of workload management, as his last Test outing led to a four-month injury setback, even sidelining him from India’s victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign.

However, Rana’s inclusion has left many former players, cricket analysts and fans puzzled, with them suggesting that he has been favored in the side owing to his affinity with Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir as well as his association with Kolkata Knight Riders. The Delhi bowler was initially part of the India ‘A’ squad that played two practice Tests against the England Lions to prepare for the senior tour.

Once the BCCI made Rana’s addition official, head coach Gautam Gambhir has been facing the ire for favoring the young KKR bowler, who lacks experience. Among the ones who criticized him was one of his own players, 31-year-old Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar.

The Bengal bowler, who last played a Test match in 2024, shared a cryptic social media message after being snubbed. Kumar indirectly wrote, ‘Karma is unforgiving and always gets a payback’, to allegedly show his dissatisfaction with the team selection.

Mukesh Kumar’s outburst appears justified, as he’s been consistently overlooked for India’s Test squad despite his form. He boasts an impressive 207 wickets in 51 first-class matches at an average of 21.42, way ahead of Harshit Rana, who has 47 wickets from only 12 first-class games. Kumar’s ability to seam the ball could have made him a valuable asset in the English conditions, potentially more so than Rana.

Besides Rana and Kumar, Anshul Kamboj is another name many considered ideal as a backup for the England tour. All three were part of the India ‘A’ squad that visited England, but Kamboj was the only one who played in both matches. While Rana took just one wicket, and Kumar claimed three wickets, Kamboj’s recorded impressive figures of 1/69 in the first game, and 2/56 and 2/6 in the second.

Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if Harshit Rana can live up to the faith Gautam Gambhir has placed in him. The 23-year-old did struggle after he was picked during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking just four wickets at a high average of 50.75.

Gautam Gambhir Advised Not to Overlook In-Form Batter, in Favor of Karun Nair or Sai Sudharsan

Former Indian Women’s Cricket Team head coach WV Raman advised Gautam Gambhir to not overlook in-form Indian batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, in favor of Karun Nair or Sai Sudharsan. All three remain in contention to occupy the number 3 spot in the Indian lineup for the upcoming England Tests. 

WV Raman advice Gautam Gambhir on Bengal batter
WV Raman advised Gautam Gambhir to select Abhimanyu Easwaran in India’s starting XI for England Tests. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

Speaking to the Times of India, Raman reminded Gambhir of Easwaran’s credentials and urged the Team India coach to reward him for his consistency. He also advised the coaching staff to pick the 29-year-old, suggesting there would be no purpose in including him otherwise. Raman further stated that Easwaran should have replaced Rohit Sharma against Australia earlier this year instead of KL Rahul:

No, let’s not forget that [Abhimanyu] Easwaran has been getting runs much higher than him over a long period of time. We have been having Easwaran as a part of the squad. We are not playing him.

Abhimanyu Easwaran has risen through the ranks of domestic cricket, having scored 7,674 runs in 101 first-class matches at an average of 48.87, hitting 27 hundreds and 29 half-centuries. He also scored 167 runs in four innings while playing for the India ‘A’ squad against the England Lions.