Harshit Rana becomes first Indian to rare record; reveals how Rohit Sharma's advice sparked 'dream' moment
Harshit Rana spoke about his 3-wicket performance in the first ODI vs England, and how Rohit Sharma helped him settle his nerves on debut after a tough start.
India’s first match of the ODI series against England in Nagpur saw ODI debut caps handed out to two young players, with pacer Harshit Rana receiving his from Mohammed Shami and going on to share the fresh new ball alongside him as well.
While Harshit received some punishment, particularly in a 26-run over off the bat of Phil Salt in his third over, he ultimately ended up taking the crucial wickets of Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, and Liam Livingstone, finishing with figures of 3/53 after 7 overs on his debut as England were bowled out for 248 after Jos Buttler chose to bat.
Reflecting on his strong performance on ODI debut in the innings break, Harshit said "The main motivation was to keep bowling at a consistent length. Initially, they attacked my bowling, but I didn’t move away from my length, and eventually, I was rewarded for it.”
Harshit has made his debut across all three formats in the last three months, and became the first Indian bowler to take three wickets on debut in every single format. He took his first two wickets in the same over late in the powerplay, handing the initiative to his team.
Harshit reveals plan after expensive over
Speaking about what allowed him to bounce back from the Salt onslaught, Harshit said he stuck to his guns and used a plan made alongside captain Rohit Sharma to make the best use of his ability to extract pace and bounce.
"They were just looking for room. Their only chance to free their arms and attack was when they got some space,” explained the 23-year-old. “So, that’s what Rohit Bhaiya and I discussed—that I should bowl as tight as possible. And that’s what I tried to do.”
“It's a dream life, but I have worked really hard for this, so it feels like I am finally reaping the rewards of that effort,” said Harshit, who made his T20 debut in Mumbai in the fifth and final T20I against England last week with a three-wicket performance.
With India set to chase 249, they found themselves down two wickets early as both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma fell after a strong opening spell by Saqib Mahmood and Jofra Archer. Reflecting on the nature of the pitch, Harshit explained “It’s a bit of a double-paced wicket. Some balls are kicking up suddenly, while others are stopping a bit.”
Along with Harshit, Ravindra Jadeja was the bowler who did most damage with three wickets of his own, while Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav all contributed with a wicket each.
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