RAIPUR: At 23, pacer Harshit Rana has already experienced criticism and heavy social media trolling. He has even been branded as Gautam Gambhir’s blue-eyed boy. Ahead of the third ODI between India and South Africa, Rana, while addressing the media, said he did not care about social media criticism and wanted to focus solely on performance.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Rana has made his debut for India across formats during Gambhir’s stint as a coach, a move which came in for heavy criticism from the likes of former national chief selector and exIndia captain Kris Srikkanth. Srikkanth’s comments triggered a public face-off between the feisty Gambhir, especially after Srikkanth alleged that Rana was picked because he was a “yes man”. After the Delhi Test against the West Indies, Gambhir responded with strong words.
Responding to a query about the trolling, Rana said, “Look, if I listen to all these things and get into the ground by putting pressure on my mind, then I don’t think I will be able to play cricket.“So, I try to avoid this as much as possible. I just pay attention to what I have to do on the ground. I don’t care about what is happening outside or what someone is saying about me. I just focus on my hard work and what I am going to do on the ground.” Rana has so far taken 19 wickets in nine ODIs at an average of 20.89, with a best haul of 4/39 in Sydney in the third ODI against Australia. Against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday, he claimed 3-65 in a high-scoring contest and helped India secure a tight 17-run win in dewy conditions.
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With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable, Rana bowled with the new ball and unlike his natural style which is hitting the deck, he bowled fuller.His deliveries, clocked at around 139 kmph, cleaned up Ryan Rickelton and induced an edge from Quinton de Kock. Rana credited Morne Morkel, the bowling coach, and fellow new-ball bowler Arshdeep Singh for their guidance. “I have been working with Morne. I also consult Arshdeep a lot as he is experienced and helps me with suggestions.”India captain KL Rahul endorsed Rana’s skills after the match. “Harshit is special. Someone tall, someone who can bowl fast, someone who hits the deck. That is what India has been looking for. He is still developing, but we see great potential.”Former India off-spinner and selector Sarandeep Singh dismissed the criticism surrounding Rana’s selection. “This whole criticism about Harshit that he’s Gautam’s man is pure rubbish.“It’s not like Gautam is supporting Harshit because he’s from Delhi. If a player is playing well, then anyone will support him. It’s not like a good player is sitting out because of him. Harshit has performed well whenever he’s been given a chance. And bowlers do tend to concede a lot of runs in white-ball cricket,” he said.Sarandeep also felt that giving Rana regular opportunities would benefit Indian cricket in the long term. “If you keep playing Harshit, he’ll become a solid asset for Indian cricket, especially as he has the potential to become a good all-rounder. His new-ball combination with Arshdeep Singh is fairly good. At some point, you’ll have to look beyond Bumrah, who can’t play continuously.“This is the perfect time to field young pacers like Harshit (23) and Arshdeep (26), not when they would be 30. You’ll develop a healthy pace battery for the future,” he said.The Delhi head coach praised Rana’s commitment to playing for the state side whenever he was available. He said, “The good thing about Harshit is that he’s a very confident boy. The best quality that I like about him is that he always gives priority to domestic cricket, always gives his 100%.“He believes in playing all the domestic tournaments. Before this ODI series, he called me and said, ‘Paaji, if I don’t get picked in the ODIs, I’ll come to play (for Delhi) in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.’ He’s taking wickets and batting well too,” he added.
