Indian pacer Harshit Rana made the most of his call-up as he produced a match-winning spell of 4 for 39 during India’s opening Sydney ODI against Australia on Saturday, silencing all sorts of criticism about his inclusion in the series. The 23-year-old had come under intense criticism ever since he was included in India’s tour squad, but his show on both bat and ball ensured that he silenced his critics in spectacular style.
Following the game, Rana revealed a fascinating anecdote when asked what of his four scalps – Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, and Josh Hazlewood he held most dear. The young paceman revealed the wicket of Mitchell Owen was the one that really stood out, and it was all because of Rohit Sharma’s crucial advice. Rana added that although he initially disregarded field placement tips given by skipper Shubman Gill, he eventually took the advice of former skipper Rohit Sharma and it proved correct on the very first delivery when Owen got out.
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Appearing on JioStar’s Cricket Live show post-match, Rana also spoke about his bowling strategy in Sydney. He said that he was not looking to attack aggressively but wanted to be disciplined with line and length and keep getting the right areas consistently a plan which eventually gave him his best-ever ODI figures.
“Mitch Owen, because I’ll tell you a story. Shubman asked me if I wanted a slip, and I was like, ‘No, I don’t need a slip.’ Then Rohit bhai was standing at cover, and he said, ‘Hey, take the slip, let me go.’ So I thought, ‘Why not, Bhaiya, you go ahead.’ And then I got the wicket and I was like, ‘Thank you so much, Bhaiya.'”
Harshit Rana to Mitchell Owen, THATS OUT!! Caught!!#INDvsAUS #IndianCricket pic.twitter.com/2N3tjS8J34
— Voice of Asia 🎤 (@Asianewss) October 25, 2025
The moment provided a fascinating insight into Rana’s confidence and faith on the pitch though he is yet to get used to Shubman Gill’s captaincy approach, his reliance on Rohit’s strategic inputs is still apparent.
