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Harshit Rana Reveals Team's All-Rounder Plan After Vital Knock in India Win

Fast bowler Harshit Rana disclosed that the Indian team management is grooming him to bat at number eight as an all-rounder. He validated this new role by scoring a crucial 29 not out in India's successful chase of 301 against New Zealand. The chase was built on a strong partnership between Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill after an early wicket. Despite New Zealand's solid start, Indian bowlers, led by Mohammed Siraj, restricted them to 300.

Key Points: Harshit Rana on India's All-Rounder Plan & ODI Win vs NZ

  • Rana groomed as all-rounder
  • His 29* in chase pivotal
  • India wins opener by 4 wickets
  • Kohli & Gill set up chase
  • Siraj leads bowling attack
3 min read

Team management wants me to bat at No. 8 as an all-rounder: Harshit Rana

Harshit Rana says team management grooming him as a No. 8 all-rounder after his 29* helps India chase 301 vs NZ. Get match highlights & quotes.

"s.QUOTE: The team management wants to groom me as an all-rounder - Harshit Rana"

Vadodara, Jan 12

After India's four-wicket victory in the opening ODI against New Zealand, fast bowler Harshit Rana revealed that the team management wants to "groom him" as an all-rounder and asked him to work on improving his skills as a batter to bat at the No. 8 position.

Chasing 301, India lost opener Rohit Sharma early. Skipper Shubman Gill (56) and Virat Kohli (93) then forged a sublime match-winning stand of 118 runs for the second wicket. Shreyas Iyer (49), Harshit Rana (29) and KL Rahul (29 not out) helped India over the line.

Notably, Rana came ahead of all-rounder Washington Sunder to bat at No. 7 and contributed a vital 29 off 23 in the chase.

"The team management wants to groom me as an all-rounder and it is my task to keep working on it. I am working on it in the nets as well, and it was a matter of confidence, which KL (Rahul) Bhai helped me with when I went in (to bat). I kept my focus on it and made the runs," Rana said in a post-match presser.

My team wants me to bat at No. 8 as an all-rounder, and whatever time I can give to it in the nets, I focus on that. I believe I can score 30-40 runs for the team lower down the order whenever needed and that's what the team management believes that I can do as well," he added.

After being asked to bat, New Zealand got off to a strong start as openers Devon Conway (56) and Henry Nicholls (62) forged a brilliant stand of 117 runs. Daryl Mitchell anchored the innings, shifting between caution and aggression as he smashed an aggressive 84. Mohammed Siraj led the Indian attack, finishing with figures of 8-0-40-2, while Prasidh Krishna and Rana also chipped in with two wickets each.

When asked about the Indian bowlers' struggles to take wickets early on with the new ball, particularly in the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Rana responded, "I don't know what cricket you are watching. Even today, although we did not secure the early wickets, Siraj bhai bowled exceptionally well. We did not give away a lot of runs either with the new ball."

"But these things happen; if you do not get wickets early on, then you will get them later, which is what we did. There are different phases in ODI cricket. I felt that the pitch was slow; there wasn't much bounce either," he added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
I like his confidence, but grooming him as an all-rounder feels a bit forced. We have Sundar and Jadeja. Shouldn't we focus on making him a world-class strike bowler first? That's where we need depth, especially with Bumrah's workload.
R
Rohit P
His 29 today was crucial! That partnership with Rahul changed the momentum. If he can do this consistently, it solves so many balance problems for the team. All the best, Harshit! 💪
S
Sarah B
Interesting strategy. It reminds me of how teams like Australia developed bowlers who could bat. His response about the bowling was a bit defensive though. He's right about phases, but early wickets are still important.
K
Karthik V
Good to see a young player embracing the team's vision. Batting at 8 is not easy, you have to be a smart hitter. KL Rahul guiding him is perfect. More than the runs, his ability to rotate strike will be key.
N
Nikhil C
Honestly, I'm a bit worried. We shouldn't put too much pressure on a young bowler. Let him focus on his primary skill. We've seen this experiment fail before. The "I don't know what cricket you are watching" comment was unnecessary for a press conference.

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