Following the absence of Shreyas Iyer as well as injury to Shubman Gill, KL Rahul was named as India’s stand-in captain for the ODI series against South Africa. He recently registered his 9th ODI win as the captain of the Indian team and gave some credit for it to his players.
Young Indian rising star Harshit Rana has silenced his critics with a brilliant spell at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi, taking 3 wickets for 65 runs in his 10 over spell. His captain KL Rahul has supported him for his excellent performance.
Harshit Rana performed brilliantly in Ranchi
Harshit Rana has faced heavy criticism; Many former players started questioning his unfair selection in the Indian team for many different formats of the game. However, Harshit performed brilliantly in Australia as he bowled very well in the final ODI in Sydney.
After taking 4 wickets in those conditions, Rana was also selected in the Indian team for the South Africa series. He has also not disappointed Gautam Gambhir and his captain by taking some very important wickets for India.
Sharing the new ball with Arshdeep Singh, he dismissed opener Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock, who scored a century against Pakistan, for ducks. After taking a double wicket in the first over, Harshit took a few runs before dismissing Dewald Brevis in his second spell.
KL Rahul calls Harshit Rana a special person for the Indian dressing room
Indian captain KL Rahul heaped praise on his fast bowler Harshit Rana, who has faced heavy criticism in the last few months. He praised the youngsters’ brilliant performance in Ranchi, highlighting their skills as strike bowlers with the new ball.
Speaking in the post-match conference, he highlighted Harshit’s raw pace and the unfair advantage he gets due to his lean build and his overall impact with the ball. He was mentioned as a ‘special’ addition to the Indian team.
“Harshit has performed really well. We all knew he had the potential and as soon as he came into the dressing room, we knew he was special. That’s what Team India is looking for. Someone who is tall, someone who can bowl fast, someone who can hit the deck, someone who can also give a bit of run at the back end,” KL Rahul said in the post-match presentation.
In his early praise of Rana, KL Rahul has highlighted his rapid growth and development as a modern young cricketer. He highlighted Rana’s performances across all formats and how important his new-ball successes were.
However, on the other hand he has also said that he is a relatively inexperienced player and the team is supporting him as they have seen immense potential in the fast bowler. He said that Rana has the skills for which India has been striving for a long time.
“So, he’s still a player who is developing, but we see a lot of potential and it’s amazing to see what he’s capable of. He bowled brilliantly in Australia as well and here, taking the new ball and getting us important wickets, that’s what we expect from him and it was really pleasing to see.”
Also read: Tim David humorously imitates Sunil Narine’s bowling action during the Abu Dhabi T10 match.
