Arshdeep Singh surpasses Harshit Rana in talent and quality: Gambhir's protege shines in comparison

India will be facing strong competition in the group stage, with matches against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. All three teams have the capability to defeat the Men in Blue. The last time India found themselves in a similarly tough group was during the 2021 T20 World Cup, where losses to Pakistan and New Zealand put them in a precarious position. To ensure history doesn't repeat itself in Dubai, India will be looking to field their strongest Playing XI.

Arshdeep may not have played too many ODIs (9), but after Mohammed Shami, he is the team's next frontline pacer. Besides, his rampant rise in T20I cricket, which saw him become India's leading wicket-taker in the format, cannot be ignored. As per a report in PTI, the left-arm quick is considered to be miles ahead of Rana.

"Harshit Rana has been the flavour of the season as far as India's emerging crop of fast bowlers is concerned but one of head coach Gautam Gambhir's finds is unlikely to start in India's playing eleven in the Champions Trophy with Arshdeep Singh still considered way ahead in terms of talent and quality," the report stated.

"It is understood that Harshit started in all three games against England because the team management, currently helmed by Gautam Gambhir, wanted to check out if his protege could be considered as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement, and also this was the only series where Shami's fitness could also have been tested in real terms. Hence, Arshdeep was rested in the first two games and only got a chance when the think-tank decided to rest Shami, who had played back-to-back ODIs."

Gambhir's trust in Rana not enough

It's no secret that Gambhir has taken a keen interest in Harshit, which dates back to their days at Kolkata Knight Riders during last year's IPL 2024. Gambhir, the mentor, identified the fire in Harshit's belly, and the fact that the pacer made his India debut just months later is a testament to the head coach's firm faith in him. In the first two Tests against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rana even played ahead of Akash Deep, before making the cut in India's T20I and ODI XIs against England recently.

Having said that, despite Rana having done no wrong, he will have to wait for his chances, purely because of the experience and skillsets which Arshdeep brings to the table. With Bumrah gone, India need all the best possible resources they have at their disposal to bring home their second ICC title in two years.

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