NAGPUR: Harshit Rana is walking back to his bowling mark staring into the oblivion. On the first ball of his third over in one-day internationals — it was his debut in the format for India at the VCA Stadium, Nagpur – the pacer had been hit for a six by England opener Phil Salt: A top edge that flew over the ropes behind the keeper.
While Rana had already been hit for a couple of fours in his first over, he was about to receive a proper welcome to the ODI format. The next ball, a length delivery, Salt hit through the line to extra cover boundary. Rana, who rose to fame in the Indian Premier League, resorted to a slower ball and was slog-swept for a six. Another four and a six came as Rana was taken for 26 runs by Salt in that over.
Three overs, 37/0. Not the kind of a start you would want to have on your ODI debut as a fast bowler. Even more so when you have been fast-tracked in the last eight months and have already played the other two formats for India. From making waves for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL last year to Test debut in Australia to a T20I debut as a concussion debut, the last year had been a bit of an upward curve for the Delhi pacer.
Understandably, after three overs, Rana was taken off by Rohit Sharma. England were cruising and India needed someone to apply the brakes. Hardik Pandya came on at the other end and Axar Patel replaced Rana. And that was enough for England to make an unforced error. A horrible mix-up between Ben Duckett and Phil Salt led to the latter’s run out.
And that was all India needed. Rana was brought back from the same end immediately, but this time, he had a plan. He dug in short, coming from around the wicket and the ball climbed on Duckett. A well-timed pull ended up being a dismissal courtesy of an incredible running behind catch from the other debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal. It was a much-needed morale boost for Rana.
Two balls later, he pitched it short again, and the out-of-form Harry Brook nicked one to KL Rahul. Rana had taken two in four balls and England were three down. From thereon, India never really lost control. Rana went from 0/37 in three to 3/53, including the wicket of Liam Livingstone in seven overs and England were all out for 248.
What started as a nightmarish debut ended up being a memorable one for Rana. From the time he was picked for the Perth Test, he seemed to be steadily moving up the pecking order. Even in this series, he came as a cover for Jasprit Bumrah, but at the moment if the senior pacer doesn’t get fit in time, Rana could be the replacement India prefer for the Champions Trophy as well. While one has to wait and see what happens, Shravan Kumar, Rana’s childhood coach, is a happy man.
“It feels great when your student plays all three formats for India. It shows that something is right with your coaching,” Shravan Kumar laughs. By nature an aggressive cricketer, Shravan believes that Rana will learn to control it and focus on accuracy. “You start with a little accuracy, after that, you should go for pace. He sometimes goes for the extra speed and gets hit but then comes back better,” Kumar told this daily.
For Chandrakant Pandit, head coach of KKR, it is the confidence that Rana has on his abilities which makes the difference. Pandit feels that when given responsibility, Rana responds well. “Whatever we have seen from the first year, especially in IPL, he could respond to the various situations. He is very well aware about what ability he has. He has definitely learned more about bowling in the death, bowling with the new ball, has variations with the slower deliveries and a good short delivery, because he has got the pace. He likes challenges, I believe,” Pandit told this daily.
While it is true that Rana grabbed every chance that has come his way since the last IPL, he still has a long way to go, especially in the longer format. There were occasions in both Perth and Adelaide where he seemed to lose steam in the second and third spells. The team management perhaps understood that as Rana did not get a game in the rest of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
That said, Pandit believes that the 23-year-old is only going to get better and better as he plays more matches for India. “Playing at international level is entirely different. Similarly, expectations are also different from every player. Once he is aware about that, I am sure that he will bring it more to the table. Any cricketer starts playing international cricket initially because he may have the potential. But the requirement of the game, when he starts playing, he knows that he is going to deal with the international batters, who are more experienced. This is how he will be able to learn,” said Pandit.
“As he starts playing many more matches, he will definitely learn with that. Because he has the potential that everyone knows now. We can see the way he has been bowling. It is just a lack of international experience, which he just started getting. I am very happy that the Indian selectors and coaches, support staff are backing him. Because these are the players that you need to back,” the veteran coach added.
Indeed, the selectors and the team management also would be hoping the same as he is looked at as a long-term prospect across formats. For now, Rana is an all-format international cricketer and he has had a memorable debut in every format for India.