Certainly it was a memorable India debut for Harshit Rana, who proved his bowling prowess in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy's first Test against Australia in Perth. The star pacer shared his emotional experience of being informed about his Test debut against Australia in Perth. He was one of two debutants in the Indian team for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025.
Rana made a strong impression with his bowling performance, supporting Jasprit Bumrah well. He claimed three wickets in the first innings, including the crucial wicket of Travis Head. On Day 2, he cleaned up the Australian tail as they were bowled out for 104 runs. India ended the day with a significant lead of 218 runs.
Harshit Rana had a sleepless night before making India debut
Rana finished the first innings with impressive figures of 3/48 in 15.2 overs. In a post-match press conference, Rana revealed that he couldn't sleep well the night before his debut. Despite the nerves, he remained composed on the field. However, he admitted to breaking down and crying during the team meeting when he was informed about his selection.
“Yes, I couldn’t sleep until very late before my debut. But in the morning, I won’t say there were any (nervous) flutters. But the flutter was there a day before that when I had to make a speech in a team environment when I was told I would be making my debut. I broke down. Mein ro pada (I cried),” said Harshit in the press conference after Day 2 stumps
Rana recalled his childhood, when he and his father would wake up early to watch cricket matches in Australia. He expressed how special it was for him to now be playing cricket in Australia himself.
“As a kid, I would get up early in the morning with my papa to watch cricket in Australia. Yeh mere liye bahut badi baat hai (to play here is a big thing for me),” Harshit added.
Talking about the match, a strong performance by Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (90*) and KL Rahul (62*) on the second day of the first Test in Perth has put India in a commanding position. Both openers remained unbeaten, with half-centuries to their name, as India ended the day at 172 runs without any loss while replying to Australia's lowly 104. As India aim to set a daunting target for Australia, Rana is expected to play a crucial role with the ball.
