Will Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) be able to retain Harshit Rana for RS 4 crore or the right-arm pacer make his debut in the series against Bangladesh? With Harshit being part of Team India for the third time, he looked ahead of Mayank Yadav in the pecking order but the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer made his debut.
Mayank became a capped player in the first game, meaning LSG will not be able to retain him for Rs 4 crore. India aren't expected to make a change in their playing XI in the second game and Harshit is likely to remain uncapped.
Before the second game, Aakash Chopra has made a mega prediction and said that Harshit won't play. "Kolkata guys, be happy, Harshit Rana won't play. He won't get his debut. So keep your fingers crossed for one more game. If he doesn't get his debut, an uncapped player will be ready for you," the former KKR opener said.
"Ideally, you think that if two players got their debuts, so should the third. If you see from that viewpoint, Harshit Rana was ahead in the pecking order. He was part of the Indian squad against Zimbabwe and then Sri Lanka as well. So if you are a part of the 15 for a slightly longer time, you hope that you only will be selected when the next chance comes."
Harshit could be handed in his T20I debut in the third game if India win the Delhi T20I to seal the series win. The Men in Blue might not make a change in their playing XI if Bangladesh manage to level the series.
Harshit earned his maiden call-up for the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe after the 2024 T20 World Cup. He was part of the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Apart from Mayank, Nitish Kumar Reddy also made his India debut in the series opener.