India’s rising pacer, Harshit Rana, marked his impressive ODI debut against England, bagging three wickets and being a crucial contributor to India’s four-wicket win over England on Thursday. Though the start to his spell was not easy, given that there was a 26-run over, Rana backpedalled hard with an irresistible second spell, showing his resilience and promise for the world stage.
Concussion Substitute Controversy
Rana recently came under controversy as he was the concussion substitute for Shivam Dube in India’s T20I series against England earlier this month. The batting all-rounder Dube was hit on the helmet, and Rana, a fast bowler, came in as a replacement, for which England raised a lot of criticism. This substitution raised many eyebrows; several deemed that logic would not be served in replacing a batsman with a bowler, but Rana did not faze over this. When India subsequently won the first ODI, he was again asked about it and gave a candid answer showing how he wanted to shift away from all this controversy and just look forward to his cricketing career.
“I believe that people will keep on talking. I just want to play, good or bad. I’m not bothered, I just want to deliver for my country. I don’t pay attention to those talks,” Rana asserted in the post-match press conference after India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
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Harshit Rana’s Rapid Rise
Rana, who has already impressed one and all through his T20I debut last week by taking 3/33 as a concussion substitute was added to the ODI squad as cover to Jasprit Bumrah. He came to know about his debut in the format only when the team arrived at the ground in Nagpur, which made his first experience interesting with surprises.
“You get to know only when you come to the ground. Mentally, I’m always prepared whenever I come to the ground. I know that I can play anytime, anything can happen. So, mentally, I always keep myself prepared,” he said.
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Harshit Rana’s Debut In India Vs England 1st ODI
It was nothing short of dramatic when Rana made his ODI debut. In the third over, three sixes and two fours from KKR teammate Phil Salt crumbled 26 runs from an over. Instead of being rattled, he regrouped and stormed back to take Ben Duckett and Harry Brook off consecutive balls in the same over. His ability to bounce back under pressure speaks of maturity and mental toughness.
“There are always ups and downs in cricket, I only wanted to focus on my length, bowl where I have to, and I got the reward for that later. I didn’t do anything different in my second spell, just focused on hitting the right areas,” he explained.
Adapting To The 50-Over Format
The young fast bowler admitted the difficulties of the 50-over format, more so in adapting to the conditions. Unlike T20s, ODIs need bowlers to change their game plans at various stages of the game. The performance of Rana in his debut match has shown that he is ready for the challenges that lie ahead in the longer format.
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“This format is a bit difficult because it’s a long format, you get (to bowl) 10 overs. You have to play different roles in different phases. But if you practice it (well), it’s good,” he said
