Kamboj vs Rana: Team India’s selection plan or Musical Chairs?

Something strange is brewing in Indian cricket, and fans are right to ask: What on earth is going on? Selection or Musical Chairs?

Take this for starters—Anshul Kamboj, the standout performer in the India A vs England Lions series, was firing on all cylinders. He picked up the most wickets (5) in the series at an average of 26.2, and his economy rate stood at an impressive 3.04 — the best in the entire series among bowlers who delivered more than 15 overs. Those are elite numbers by any standard.

And that’s not all. With the bat, he chipped in as well — scoring 76 runs in 3 innings, including a composed half-century. A true all-round contribution.

Kamboj looked ready for the next big step. But instead of a promotion, he got a plane ticket home. No call-up. No reward.

Meanwhile, Harshit Rana—who managed just one solitary wicket in the same series—was flown in as cover for the pacers in England. Confused? You're not alone.

But that was just the beginning of the chaos. Soon after, Rana was released and sent back, and guess who’s been called up again? Yep, Kamboj.

All this chopping and changing raises a pretty basic question: if you didn’t fully trust Harshit in the first place, why not go with Kamboj from the start? Why the back-and-forth? Why the drama?

Frankly, this feels less like team strategy and more like a game of musical chairs. And the optics aren’t great. It sends a message not just to the players involved but to everyone watching: “We don’t have clarity.”

The truth is, based purely on performance, Kamboj should’ve been on the first flight to England—not brought in as a last-minute patch-up job. Sure, it’s better late than never, but let’s hope this is the last of the selection U-turns.

Because Team India can afford experimentation. What it can’t afford is confusion.

Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj