Over the last 12 months, Harshit Rana’s name has become a favourite meme subject across social media platforms, largely due to perceived favouritism from Gautam Gambhir. Yet, a closer look at Rana’s skill set makes it easy to understand why the Indian think-tank continues to back him, particularly in limited-overs cricket.
Setting aside his pace-bowling ability, consider his knack for landing big shots lower down the order. Recently, in a T20I at the MCG, Rana also got into line more frequently against pace on a tricky surface. In essence, he vindicated the management’s faith in promoting him up the order.
After India secured the ODI series against South Africa, Gambhir shared his thoughts on Rana’s potential with the bat. Although he was speaking about a different format, the underlying point remained the same, the utility that Rana brings to the table.
“That’s one of the reasons why we are trying to probably develop someone like Harshit, who can actually bat at 8 and contribute with the bat at No. 8. That’s how we need to find the balance, because come South Africa in two years, we would be needing three proper seamers as well. If he can continue to develop as a bowling all-rounder, it’s going to give us a massive boost,” he said.
Of course, Harshit’s bowling will always be his primary suit. He has a fair bit of artillery in his armoury, the heavy ball, back-of-a-length slower deliveries and handy nip off the pitch. His dismissal of the dangerous Aiden Markram in Raipur, bowling a wider line with an into-the-pitch slower ball, offers ample proof of his bowling smarts.
Harshit’s improving defensive skills in limited-overs cricket also put him a step ahead of the other hit-the-deck pacer in the Indian set-up, Prasidh Krishna. Yet, despite the tools he possesses, Harshit still has a tendency to offer width, which remains his primary flaw. Encouragingly, in his recent limited-overs outings, he does seem to have tightened that area to some degree.
In the final analysis, India simply don’t have a deep pool of promising pace bowlers to pick from. The coaching staff are actively searching for seam-bowling all-rounders. From that standpoint, patience becomes a virtue and the Indian backroom staff appear committed to staying the course with Harshit.
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