Harshit Rana was the toast of Indian cricket after Perth. His aggression, his hit-the-deck bowling, his first-innings ball to get Travis Head – the left-field selection was considered a masterstroke. Now, less than a fortnight on and after one bad performance, Rana is in the doghouse. Apparently, he is a “quota” selection based on Gautam Gambhir’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) connection.
This is where Indian cricket fans need to show maturity. Neither was Rana the greatest newbie after Perth, nor is he rubbish after Adelaide. The truth is that he has had one bad innings. Head, the local hero, went after him and Rana lost the plot. But then, how many times has he bowled with the pink ball? On how many occasions has he toured Australia? How is it that he can’t fail when he has had little or no experience of bowling under lights with the pink ball?
Now, the sudden clamour is for Akash Deep to play. It is as if the inclusion of Akash will solve every problem. And if he fails, he too will soon be considered fit for the trash can.
Patience. That’s what is lacking in Indian cricket fandom, and the Rana case is a glaring example. A young man who has just cut his teeth in international cricket and had a very good debut underperformed in just one innings, and is being shellacked as a result. I mean, come on! All of a sudden, Akash is the new messiah. If he fails, there will be a clarion call for Mohammed Shami.
The fact of the matter is that India had a bad game in Adelaide. Both with the bat and the ball. The batters were poor in both innings and the bowlers weren’t able to deliver under lights with the ball. The comparison with the New Zealand series isn’t relevant, because those were very different conditions and the pitches were poor.
Moving on to Brisbane, India will need at least two of the batters to put their hands up. If Shubman Gill gets in, he needs to convert. Make a 100. If Rishabh Pant gets a start, don’t give it away for just 28. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and, of course, skipper Rohit Sharma – the onus has to be taken by the batters to give the bowlers something to bowl at. Give them 300, and they are good enough to do the job.
Coming back to Rana, and I’d still go with him in Brisbane. The conditions at the Gabba will suit him, and there need not be any knee-jerk reaction. A quiet word with him, and if he sees where he erred, he will come out of this a better bowler. Even the great Sir Curtly Ambrose was restricted to seven wickets in six innings in his debut series. Every fast bowler will take a little time to adjust, and Rana is no different. He had impact in Perth, and he will again in Brisbane.
May be this is where Gambhir, Morne Morkel and Rohit should speak to him. Back him and give him the confidence. Ask him like Bharat Arun used to of his bowlers what he wanted to do and if he thought the execution was wrong. He will get the answer as to what he needs to do next. If anything, Rana will be a better cricketer post-Adelaide, and for India to do well in Brisbane, it wouldn’t be a wrong call to give him one more opportunity.
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