India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir lavished praise on Harshit Rana for his outstanding spell in the IND vs AUS 3rd ODI. The pacer, who was severely criticised for his lack of performance prior to the Sydney game, registered his career-best figures of 4/39 in that game, repaying the faith of the coach and captain. Following the game, Gambhir lauded Rana for his performance but also warned him to stay humble and continue working hard.
Gambhir warns Rana to stay humble
Gambhir, who has been targeted in the past for favouring Rana, gave a special shoutout to the pacer in the dressing room for his performance in the 3rd ODI. The head coach advised the Delhi bowler to stay humble and keep working hard, noting that it was just the start.
“I thought the bowlers were outstanding. The kind of start Australia had, 63/0 after 10 overs and from there to restricting them to 237 runs was an outstanding effort. And special mention to Harshit (Rana), that was an outstanding spell. I just want to say that stay humble, stay grounded and keep working hard. It’s just the start and it isn’t the end,” Gambhir said.
There’s a reason India and Gambhir remain invested in Rana. He’s tall, quick, and hits the deck hard, traits tailor-made for overseas conditions. More importantly, he can handle the bat at No. 8, something rare for Indian pacers. That balance makes him an asset in white-ball cricket. We had heard that Harshit had batting ability and for the first time, he showed it. His 24-run knock in Adelaide showed the management that they can go with him at number eight and play three frontline bowlers going forward.
