Before bursting onto the scene in international cricket, Harshit Rana endured a grueling decade of uncertainty. The Indian pacer recently shared that he spent years chasing what felt like 'nothing', frequently facing rejection during trials. This difficult period was marked by emotional toll, as he admitted to returning home daily to vent his frustrations and cry in front of his father, Pradeep.
Harshit Rana reveals emotional journey through failures and rejections
His professional breakthrough finally arrived in 2022 when he was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for his base price of INR 20 lakhs. While his first two seasons showed glimpses of potential, he was largely viewed as a raw talent still finding his footing. However, 2024 proved to be his breakout year; he claimed 19 wickets, the most by any uncapped player that season, playing a pivotal role in securing KKR’s first championship title in over a decade.
I have seen those ten years where nothing happened: Harshit Rana
This domestic success acted as a springboard for his international career. Shortly after his standout IPL performance, Rana earned his maiden call-up to the Indian Test squad. His rapid progression has since solidified his place in the national setup, transforming him from a struggling hopeful into an all-format regular for Team India.
“I know how to handle failure now. I have seen those ten years where nothing happened. I would go to trials and my name would not come. I would come back and cry every day in front of my dad. So now I think that failure is gone; whatever comes, I can handle it. I had given up. But my dad kept pushing me literally," Rana told MensXP.
Harshit's intense focus on cricket let little room for a typical childhood. This extreme dedication meant he grew up in relative isolation, reaching adulthood without the common distractions of a social circle or even a mobile phone. Every aspect of his daily routine was engineered toward athletic excellence, creating a lifestyle of total immersion in the sport.
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I didn’t even have a smartphone till I was in 12th: Harshit
Central to this disciplined upbringing was his father, Pradeep, who acted as both his mentor and guardian. To ensure Harshit never missed a moment of training, Pradeep slept beside him for years, personally waking him up in the early hours of the morning. His father's commitment was so absolute that he even clashed with Harshit's mother, frequently arguing to keep the boy home from school so he could prioritize his development on the cricket pitch.
“I didn’t even have a smartphone till I was in 12th. Papa used to wake me up at 4:30, bring me back from training at 6. Mom used to tell me to go to school, and he’d ask me to sleep. That’s where they’d fight. Mom would scold me, say that I don’t like going to school, but I used to ask her, ‘What can I do if he’s stopping me?’ Because then I’d have practice at 1 pm again, and that place was 2.5 hours away from home, so he thought we’d get late if I went to school, and that I should just sleep instead. I didn’t even have friends. He’d sleep with me and wake me up at 4:30 every day," he concluded.