Harshit Rana’s impressive four-wicket haul in the third ODI against Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground has finally silenced critics who questioned his prolonged backing by the team. The 23-year-old pacer, often labelled as head coach Gautam Gambhir’s ‘Yes Man’ by former chief selector Kris Srikkanth, was reportedly given a clear ultimatum ahead of the Australia tour. Sharvan, Rana’s childhood coach, spoke about the stern words Gambhir had conveyed to the young pacer.
“He called me and told me that he wanted to shut the outside noise with his performance. I just said, believe in yourself. I know some cricketers say he is close to Gambhir. But Gambhir knows how to identify talent, and he backs them. He has backed a lot of cricketers, and they have done wonders for their team. He in fact scolded Harshit badly. He told him directly, ‘perform kar, warna bahar bitha dunga.’ He sends a clear message to whoever you are,” Sharvan revealed.
“Rana is 23. Let’s give him some time,” he added, defending the young bowler against criticism.
Rana’s match-winning performance
In the third ODI, Rana bowled 8.4 overs, conceding just 39 runs while claiming four key wickets, including the scalps of middle-order batters Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, and Mitchell Owen. His performance helped India bowl out Australia for 236, with Rohit Sharma’s 121* and Virat Kohli’s 74* guiding India to a nine-wicket victory. Rana ended the series as India’s highest wicket-taker, picking six wickets at an average of 20.83 and an economy just over six.
Sharvan hits back at critics
Sharvan also addressed the harsh criticism Rana faced from former cricketers on YouTube, especially Srikkanth. “First Krishnamachari Srikkanth took the case of this kid. After retirements, cricketers have started their YouTube channels to earn, but please don’t scrutinise any kid who just started. They have the right to guide, scold, but please don’t say anything for your YouTube channel’s visibility,” Sharvan said.
Future in T20Is
Rana is likely to feature in India’s upcoming five-match T20I series starting October 29 at Canberra’s Manuka Oval. However, his spot could be challenged with Jasprit Bumrah returning to the T20I side. Alongside Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, India also has Shivam Dube and potentially Nitish Kumar Reddy as pace-bowling options.
