India national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir could not hide his pride as Harshit Rana lit up the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with a brilliant performance in the second T20 match between India and Australia in Melbourne on Friday (October 31).
After a dramatic collapse, Harshit Rana was sent in ahead of senior all-rounder Shivam Dubey and the move paid off against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The young fast bowler played an important role in taking India to 125 runs in the second T20 match on Friday.
Harshit Rana justified his selection with his explosive innings at MCG.
This Delhi bowler is the same bowler whom Gambhir is facing constant criticism for playing over Arshdeep Singh. Time and again, the Indian head coach cited Harshit’s batting ability which puts him ahead of Arshdeep, one of his most successful T20I bowlers.
Also Read: Watch: Josh Inglis takes brilliant flying catch to dismiss Shivam Dubey in Melbourne T20I
And now, Harshit gave a strong slap to the critics and repaid Gambhir’s faith by scoring a crucial inning of 35 runs off 33 balls with the help of three fours and a six. That shot of Marcus Stoinis has gone viral as the camera focused on Gambhir, who was seen smiling proudly at his call.
Gautam Gambhir jumped with pride as soon as Harshit Rana hit a powerful six.
Actually, Stoinis tried to beat Harshit with the slower ball, but the youngster understood it in advance, steadied himself and hit a powerful six over mid-wicket. This tremendous hit not only took India’s score past 100 but also made the Indian dugout, especially Gambhir, swell with pride.
This shot was pure power, pure confidence and a glimpse of India’s fearless new generation.
– Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) 31 October 2025
104m six by Harshit Rana. pic.twitter.com/bNQqTtzWgU
– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) 31 October 2025
Abhishek Sharma fights alone after India’s defeat against Australia
Meanwhile, India’s batting lineup collapsed in dramatic fashion against Australia at the MCG as the top order failed to cope with the sharp bounce and seam movement. India also experimented with their batting order, sending Sanju Samson in at No. 3 and moving Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dubey during the second T20I on Friday.
Apart from Abhishek Sharma’s fearless 68 off 37 balls and Harshit Rana’s fighting 35 off 33 balls, nothing went in favor of the Men in Blue at the MCG. While Abhishek impressed with his clever footwork and ability to utilize the pace of the bowlers, the rest of the batting lineup struggled badly.
Also Read: “Jitesh Sharma is far better”: Twitter reacts to Sanju Samson’s failure in MCG T20I vs Australia
Josh Hazlewood’s explosive spell demolished India’s top order
The conditions looked very difficult for India’s top and middle order, who looked trapped at the crease and found it impossible to adjust to the extra bounce at the MCG. Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood bowled brilliantly with the new ball and bowled hard in the Test match, which took India’s breath away.
Hazlewood bowled 15 dot balls in his four overs and produced an astonishing performance of 3 wickets for 13 runs. Xavier Bartlett and Nathan Ellis added to the trouble by striking twice each, while Marcus Stoinis wrapped up India’s innings with a wicket. After the match in Canberra was washed out due to rain, Australia made a strong start by chasing the target of 126 runs to win the second T20 match and took the lead in the series against India.