A 23-year-old Harshit Rana turned former chief selector and 1983 World Cup winning member Kris Srikkanth into his fan within a few weeks. Srikkanth was harsh in his criticism of Rana when he was selected for the Australia tour. The former India captain went on to call him head coach Gautam Gambhir’s ‘yes man’. However, weeks later, Rana claimed his ODI career-best 4/39 in Sydney to earn praise from Srikkanth.
“Harshit Rana bowled superbly. Taking four wickets in an ODI is a big achievement. My favourite was the wicket of Owen. It was a superb delivery and Rohit took a great catch," Srikkanth said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“He (Rana) bowled a terrific line and length. Last match, he got clobbered at the death, but this game, he bowled very well even at the death. He did not bowl short today and did not try too many slower ones.
“So today, Harshit Rana deserves all the praise. I am very happy for you. Yes, I criticised you a lot, but at the end of the day, you have done very well. He has got his confidence back from the last match after scoring with the bat and from his first spell with the ball," Srikkanth added.
Rana ended the series as the highest wicket-taker. In the previous game at Adelaide Oval, he contributed with an unbeaten 18-ball 24, his best with the bat in international cricket. He followed it up with two wickets in a losing cause, leaking 59 runs from eight overs.
Gill says Rana in World Cup 2027 plans
He earned praise from captain Shubman Gill who feels that on the bouncy tracks of South Africa in ODI World Cup 2027, he can come in handy as the third seamer. He also expects him to bat at no.8 and contribute with cameos like he did in Adelaide.
What Srikkanth said about Rana
“Be a Yes-Man to Gambhir,” Srikkanth had said on his YouTube channel. “There is only one permanent member – Harshit Rana. Nobody knows why he is there in the team. You don’t pick some players even if they do well and take others even if they don’t.”
How Gambhir was left worried for Rana’s well-being
"Look, it's a little shameful and I will be very honest with you. If you are criticising 23-year-olds to run your YouTube channel, which is unfair. His father is not an ex-chairman, or ex-cricketer or an NRI. He has played cricket on his own merit and he will continue to do so. Targeting individuals is not fair. Target people on their performance, and selectors are there for that job. If you say horrible things about a 23-year-old on social media, what does that do to his mindset?" Gambhir had said in post-match press conference after 2-0 cleansweep against West Indies.