Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir hosted a special dinner at his New Delhi residence ahead of the second and final Test against West Indies. The event attracted attention online when fast bowler Harshit Rana was initially absent, causing a stir on social media, which ended with him arriving in a BMW.
The second Test against West Indies is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Notably, the Shubman Gill-led side secured an innings and 140-run win at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, securing crucial points in the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
Watch: Harshit Rana made headlines by entering Gautam Gambhir’s house
Gautam Gambhir hosted a special dinner for Team India at his Delhi residence on October 8. The players and support staff were seen together ahead of the upcoming tour of Australia. The entire group, dressed in casual clothes, reached Gambhir’s house in Rajinder Nagar by bus.
Those present included captain Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and bowling coach Morne Morkel. BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla was also present.
Social media was abuzz with jokes about the conspicuous absence of Harshit Rana, who was not seen accompanying the group. However, the Delhi fast bowler later arrived in a BMW, ending the online conversation.
Rana, who is part of both the ODI and T20 squads for the Australia tour, is expected to join his teammates when they depart for the series.
Controversy has arisen over the selection of Harshit Rana for Australia tour.
Harshit Rana’s selection for the ODI series against Australia sparked controversy on social media, with critics labeling him a “serious favourite”. Earlier, fans had questioned the inclusion of more experienced fast bowlers during the Asia Cup 2025, where the Men in Blue won the title.
Rana has struggled to justify the faith shown in him by the team management. After breaking into the Indian team after impressive performances in IPL 2024 under Gautam Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders, the young fast bowler has failed to deliver consistent results.
Rana could take only four wickets at an average of 50.75 in two Test matches during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has been expensive in the white-ball formats, conceding more than 10 runs per over in IPL 2025. His Asia Cup campaign also disappointed, taking just two wickets for 79 runs in two matches.
Shubman Gill’s team made a great start to the test series.
Shubman Gill’s team made a great start to the Test series with a brilliant all-round performance. India’s pace attack decimated the visitors and restricted them to a paltry score of 162 runs in 44.1 overs. Mohammed Siraj gave his best performance by taking four wickets and prevented the opposition team from getting into the rhythm.
In reply, KL Rahul scored his 11th Test century by scoring 100 runs in 197 balls. Dhruv Jurel played an inning of 125 runs and Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten after scoring 104 runs. He helped India reach a mammoth score of 448/5 before declaring the innings after 128 overs.
The visiting team once again faltered in the second innings and collapsed for just 146 runs. This time Jadeja shone with the ball and took four wickets. Under Gill’s leadership, India dominated the series by showing dominance in all departments.
Also read: West Indies white ball squad announced for Bangladesh tour; Shai Hope became the captain
