This time Sanjay Manjrekar has made another big comment on the Indian bowling unit. He commented that the inclusion of Harshit Rana in the squad has completed the Indian attack, as he fills the void that India lacks, especially during the middle overs.
India have made several changes to their team, especially in the bowling deck under Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir has not retained the former Indian fast bowling options and has selected players like Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna from the IPL.
Rana has been a controversial name, as many believed that he was given too many opportunities by the selectors and head coach. However, since the Australia tour, Harshit Rana has proved all the words wrong and has given the exact reasons for being a part of the team.
Sanjay Manjrekar claimed, “Harshit Rana is one of the discoverers of the Indian team.”
Rana has not been a regular for the Indian red-ball team, but has occasionally been selected in the team; However, he has been very important to India’s pace attack in ODIs. Rana has developed into a consistent wicket-taker for the Men in Blue.
After rising to IPL fame, Harshit Rana was brought into the Indian team after his former Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach of the Indian national team. Since then Harshit has not disappointed his coach.
“As far as bowling is concerned, Harshit Rana is one of the best players in the Indian team. He can bowl in all phases of the game. Against South Africa, we saw how he uses the new ball well against the experienced batsmen, and when he returns for his second or third spell, he uses his T20 skills to bowl out batsmen who want to outwit the bowlers,” said Sanjay Manjrekar, who Praised the fast bowler.
“๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ He is one of the discoveries of the Indian team as far as bowling is concerned. He can bowl in all phases of the game. Against South Africa, we saw how he exploits the new ball well against experienced batsmen, and when we look at his second orโฆ
โ KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) 11 January 2026
“The Indian bowling line-up looks quite complete” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar had already explained why he feels that Harshit Rana is truly valuable to the Indian team, his explanation seemed quite logical. Rana doesn’t really bowl based on abilities alone, but also uses his T20 skills to take wickets and provide breakthroughs at crucial moments of the game.
While Manjrekar suggested that the inclusion of Harshit Rana has helped India bridge the massive quality gap needed during the middle overs, he has sidelined players like Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah.
“Overall, he adds the wicket-taking ability that Indian fast bowlers have been lacking in the middle overs. So, his inclusion makes the Indian bowling lineup look quite complete,” Manjrekar said on the GeoHotstar pre-match show.
Harshit Rana brought success with his second spell in the first ODI
India is currently playing a three-match ODI series against New Zealand and in the first match, Harshit will bowl with the new ball for India. India decided to bowl first and Kiwi openers Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls made a brilliant partnership of 117 runs for the first wicket.
When Nicholls was on 62, Harshit returned with his second spell and dismissed him with a slower ball outside the off stump and he was caught behind the wicket. This gave him momentum and in his next over he clean bowled Devon Conway with a ball which fell sharply backwards.
Hence, Rana gave India two crucial breakthroughs in the game before Mohammed Siraj’s fourth dismissal.
Also read: Pakistan declares itself co-host of T20 World Cup 2026, takes over India’s Bangladesh matches
