Harshit Rana won't play the third Test: Gautam Gambhir

India coach Gautam Gambhir has dismissed reports that Harshit Rana will play in the third and final Test against New Zealand that begins at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday.

There were speculations that Rana could be played in the third and final Test, possibly replacing Jasprit Bumrah, to prepare him for the tour of Australia. However, Gambhir said that he has been called up only to spend some time with bowling coach Morne Morkel.

“I don’t know where you are getting this news from, because [assistant coach] Abhishek [Nayar] made it very clear yesterday that he is not part of the squad. He has been brought here to work with Morne [Morkel] so that he can prepare himself for the tour of Australia,” said Gambhir to media on the eve of the final Test.  

Nayar had said on Wednesday that there won't be any change to the current Test squad. 

There have been talks that Rana was summoned possibly to boost his chance of getting retained in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gambhir, however, swatted this way saying that he is not thinking even a bit of IPL.  

“IPL has nothing to do with me,” he said.

Rana was retained by KKR for Rs 4 crore alongwith Rinku Singh (Rs 13 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (Rs 12 crore), Sunil Narine (Rs 12 crore), Andre Russell (Rs 12 crore), and Ramandeep Singh (Rs 4 crore). 

Gambhir also said that there are no concerns with regard to Jasprit Bumrah, who is fit to bowl. Bumrah hadn’t bowled much in the second Test.

“Bumrah has prepared, he has bowled. He is a senior player and he knows how much he needs to prepare. He needs to conserve his energy as well.”

Tags : Harshit Rana, Gautam Gambhir, IPL retention, KKR, Kolkata Knight Riders, India vs New Zealand, Wankhede Stadium, 3rd Test