Former Indian chief selector K Srikkanth, who is known to be a vociferous critic of Harshit Rana, heaped praise on the bowler after his performance in IND vs AUS 3rd ODI. The Delhi all-rounder silenced his critics, first with a 24-run cameo in Adelaide followed by a 4-wicket haul in Sydney. Srikkanth, who was earlier indirectly called out by head coach Gautam Gambhir for trolling Rana on his YouTube channel, did a U-turn on his views on the bowler and lavished praise on him.
Srikkant can’t help but praise Rana after Gambhir’s chiding
In a video on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth dubbed Harshit’s four-wicket haul in the IND vs AUS 3rd ODI as a big achievement. The staunch critic of the all-rounder claimed that the star bowled had bowled a terrific line and length, adding that he had bowled very well in the death overs. Rana finished with career-best figures of 4/39 in the 3rd ODI, emerging as the standout bowler for India in the contest.
“Harshit Rana bowled superbly. Taking four wickets in an ODI is a big achievement. He 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 didn’t bowl short today and didn’t try too many slower ones. 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’ve 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 said..
Srikkanth had earlier accused Rana of being selected in the Indian team across formats for being Gambhir’s ‘yes man’. Speaking at a press conference after the IND vs WI 2nd Test, Gambhir came down hard on Harshit’s critics, noting that trolling a 23-year-old wasn’t right.
“Every one of has us moral responsibility to make sure Indian cricket does well. Don’t say anything to run your YouTube channel. You criticize me and I can stand through it 100%. But, a 23-year-old boy is a 23-year-old boy. So, that is something which is not acceptable,” Gambhir said.
