The second fixture of the two-match series against the West Indies will begin on Friday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Ahead of the game, Gambhir hosted an open-air dinner for the entire Test squad and the support staff members. It was a gesture aimed at fostering camaraderie before the side embarks on the overseas tour to Australia, which will begin on October 19.

India captain Shubman Gill, who wore a t-shirt, paired with a blue denim and black glasses, was among the first to step out of the bus, followed by the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Prasidh Kirshna, assistant Ryan ten Doeschate and bowling coach Morne Morkel, all of whom majorly stuck to white. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla was also present for the dinner party.

However, fans on social media wondered about the absence of Harshit. Although it was on a hilarious note, given that the part was only for the members of the Test squad, the Delhi speedster failed to make the cut.

However, in a fresh video, Harshit was spotted at the party, for which he arrived separately. He will once again meet up with the team members on the flight to Australia as he has been picked for both the ODIs and the T20I series Down Under.

The social media reaction was fueled by Harshit Rana’s controversial selection for the upcoming ODI series against Australia. His spot in the Asia Cup squad had also drawn criticism, with many alleging he was a “Gambhir favourite,” sparking a flood of memes online.

Harshit has done little to quell the doubts despite continued backing from team management. Fast-tracked into the Indian side after a stellar IPL 2024 under Gautam Gambhir’s mentorship at Kolkata Knight Riders, the right-armer made his Border-Gavaskar Trophy debut, playing just two matches and taking four wickets at 50.75, drawing heavy criticism. His economy rate in eight white-ball matches for India has been poor, and in the 2025 IPL season, it exceeded 10. In the Asia Cup, he played two games, picking just two wickets for 79 runs.

“You don’t pick some players even if they do well and take others even if they don’t. Best is to be like Harshit Rana and be a constant yes-man to Gambhir to be selected. You should start building towards the 2027 World Cup. But I feel they’ve not. If you pick Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy among the probabilities, then you can wave goodbye to the trophy,” an unfiltered Kris Srikkanth, former shief selector, said on his YouTube channel last week after the announcement of India’s squad for the Australia tour.

“Harshit Rana does too many filmy gimmicks. All these filmy reactions aren’t of any use, you’ve to actually bowl well. He does all these filmy reactions in the IPL as well. This is not a good attitude, it’s just showboating. He drives after the ball is already last him. Why dive after the goal has already been scored? Aggression is different but showboating so much at a young age is why he got punished today,” the former India captain added.