Karthik Criticizes Team India’s ‘New Mindset’ After Harshit Rana’s Inclusion Over Arshdeep

The five-match India-Australia T20 series started on a disappointing note. The series began with a match to be played at Canberra's Manuka Oval, but rain cut short the play after only 58 balls. India won the toss and chose to bat first, but continuous rain led the umpires to delay the match.

Even though the match did not happen, the Indian team management stunned everyone by adding young fast bowler Harshit Rana in place of fast bowler Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI. After this, a lot of former legends and cricket pundits have shown their discontent. Former wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik was highly critical of the decision. During a discussion with Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz, Karthik questioned the team selection and said that it represents the new mindset of Indian cricket, which he disagrees with.

Dinesh Karthik expressed his surprise at seeing Harshit Rana at number 8 in the playing XI. He said, "I'm surprised to see Harshit Rana at number 8. This reflects the mindset of Team India currently led by Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir." Karthik further clarified, "I think they both like depth in the batting lineup, but I hate the thought that they chose Harshit Rana over Arshdeep. This is happening with Team India in every format now." He also added that if Nitish Kumar Reddy had been fit and available, the team combination would have been worth watching.