The 23-year-old struck twice in the space of three deliveries, removing Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks. He sneaked one through Rickelton’s defence to rattle the stumps before drawing an outside edge from de Kock with a delivery that shaped away, which KL Rahul safely collected behind the wicket. Later in the match, he claimed the all-important wicket of Dewald Brevis, who was going all guns blazing after the Indian bowlers. He managed to deceive Brevis with a slower delivery, which he launched in the air to find another big shot, but got caught by Ruturaj Gaikwad near the boundary rope.

India skipper KL Rahul was all praise for Harshit Rana after the youngster’s standout performance in Ranchi, emphasising how the pacer has brought exactly the skillset India has been searching for. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Indian skipper highlighted Rana’s raw pace, height and impact with the ball, calling him a “special” addition to the dressing room.

“Harshit’s done really well. We all knew he had the potential and we knew the minute he came into that dressing room that he’s special. That is what Team India has been looking for. Someone who is tall, someone who can bowl fast, someone who hits the deck, someone who can give a little bit of runs as well at the back end,” Rahul said in the post-match presentation.

“Harshit Rana is still someone who’s developing”

Rahul further highlighted Rana’s rapid growth, noting that the young pacer is still evolving but already showing tremendous promise. He praised Rana’s impressive performances across conditions and emphasised how crucial his new-ball breakthroughs have become for Team India in recent times.

“So, he’s still someone who’s developing but we see great potential and it’s amazing to see what he’s been able to do. He bowled brilliantly in Australia as well and to take the new ball here and get us those crucial wickets is what we expect out of him and it was really pleasing to see that,” he added.