India pacer Harshit Rana feels that the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli not only keeps the dressing room positive, but the two also help the youngsters develop. These comments come ahead of India's second ODI of the three-match series against South Africa that will be played on December 3.
Harshit remarked that the duo of Rohit and Virat create a great environment in the dressing room and this helps the players in remaining positive heading into important matches. He further stated that the two advise the other players on how to improve their skills and this only leads to the betterment of the team.
“This is a huge thing for me and for the team. They always help the youngsters. They always tell us how to improve. So the team gets better automatically. The environment is very good with them," Harshit said in the pre-match press-conference.
“It’s a happy environment as they always motivate, back you and tell you what next step to take. Even if you are under pressure on the field, they help you with suggestions," he added.
Rohit, Virat and Harshit star in India's victory
Rohit, Virat and Harshit all played key roles in India's victory over South Africa in the first ODI. While Virat starred with an incredible knock of 135, Rohit also contributed well to the side's total of 349/8 with his inning of 57. On the other hand, Harshit bowled a fiery opening spell, clinching the wickets of both Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock in the second over. He then went on to take the massive wicket of Dewald Brevis for 37 runs. The 25-year-old finished his quota of 10 overs with figures of 3/65 and was India's second-best bowler behind Kuldeep Yadav, who racked up four scalps for 68 runs.
India's record at the venue in Raipur
Meanwhile, the second ODI of the series will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Raipur. The Men in Blue have only played a single one-day match at the venue previously and they did so in 2023. They defeated New Zealand by 8 wickets in that match which means that they currently have a 100% win record at the stadium. It remains to be seen if they will be able to maintain that record in the upcoming game.