Harshit Rana, a right-arm pacer, faces a formidable competition from his father, Pradeep Rana. The goal set for him is to reach 150 kmph. Before being given the chance to play for India, 22-year-old Rana, who plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders, stood out in the 2024 Indian Premier League by taking 19 wickets in 13 games. In his Test debut for India, Harshit Rana caused a stir in Perth against a potent Australian batting lineup. Harshit and Mohammed Siraj provided the perfect backing to pace leader Jasprit Bumrah after India bundled out on 150. Harshit performed admirably in the opening innings, coming with figures of 3 for 48 in a period of 15.2 overs.
But the excellent start was short-lived. Harshit began to wane after his second stint as the Perth Test strip became calm but still had bounce. He was able to take the one wicket of Alex Carey, who ended up being the last victim of the first Test, by leaking runs throughout the innings.
In the second game, Harshit gave up 86 runs without getting any wickets, leaking runs as well.
The pacer has been challenged by Harshit’s father to reach 150 kmph in order to be deemed a player.
“I’ve given him a 150 kph bowling challenge. Pradeep, a former CRPF weightlifter and hammer thrower, assured him, “I will consider you a player the day you touch 150 kph.”
“If you bowl 150 kph, no one will stop you from playing for India but if you will bowl 125 kph, even a local club will not select you,” he stated.
In just 16 overs, young Harshit was hammered for 86, but captain Rohit Sharma refused to let a two-Test kid be the fall guy for a crushing loss in Adelaide.
“Rana performed flawlessly in the first test. He performed admirably. When the team needed it, he provided them with important breakthroughs. In my opinion, if someone hasn’t done anything wrong, they shouldn’t be excluded without cause since that would undermine the team’s trust.
“Occasionally, the team does not receive what it desires. He was placed under strain by a skilled batter. However, Rohit stated, “We should support such qualities in a player because he has a heart and a passion.”
“It might appear to the player that you grant me one match but exclude me from the next. I believe that neither a player nor a team will benefit from this. He went on, “We should evaluate the current state of affairs and the usefulness of the conditions.
He doesn’t want to evaluate Rana based on a single game, but if a change is necessary, it will be made for the team’s advantage.
However, it is wrong to judge someone based on only one game. Since we need to win a Test match, we always leave (all) alternatives available for any player to participate. We will make such adjustments if necessary to win a test. Rohit is cautious about extrapolating too much from the Siraj-Head event.
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