It was crisis time during the first ODI between India and New Zealand at Vadodara on Sunday (January 11). Chasing a decent target of 301, India were actually cruising at one point with the score reading 234/2. However, the dismissals of captain Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, both set batters, triggered a small implosion.
The score suddenly read 242-5 with three wickets falling in just seven deliveries. Usually, being five wickets down isn't cause for panic but there was a twist. Washington Sundar was injured and initially not expected to bat due to a serious side strain which is likely to rule him out of this ODI series. It is another matter that he came to bat later on, but the signs were clear that he was struggling.
Before Sundar came to bat, however, it was Harshit Rana who produced a crucial cameo to put India back on track when things were starting to get trickier. Yes, KL Rahul was there at one end but he didn't have the liberty to play freely due to the long tail and Sundar's injury. This meant that if anybody were to take risks, it had to be Rana and he did it with aplomb.
Rana's selection across formats has not been just due to his fast bowling skills alone. The fact that he can be a more than handy batter down the order is equally vital, especially in white-ball cricket where batting depth matters. An in-form Harshit can bat at no.8 and also be India's specialist seam option.
When Rana came to bat, India still needed 59 more off 53 balls and he responded with an aggressive 23-ball 39 that took the pressure off Rahul and India. The knock included two boundaries and a six as Rana proved his lower order batting credentials once again. Earlier in the afternoon, it's his bowling that started India's comeback story after New Zealand's openers had put up a century stand.
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Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls were off to a flier before Rana returned in his second spell to remove both batters off successive overs. He did concede 65 runs and is generally expensive but Rana is also a genuine wicket-taker. The pacer now has 22 ODI wickets from just 12 matches and has only gone wicketless in two of these games.
In T20Is, Rana arguably needs to get more control into his bowling but he has proven his wicket-taking skills there as well. For now, though, ODIs is what should suit him the best and with the 2027 ODI World Cup being held in South Africa, the pitches should suit Rana's hit-the-deck style of bowling.
Also, India would need his batting credentials equally, more so if they plan to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy in the XI. Head coach Gautam Gambhir has been an open admirer of batting depth and all-rounders, and his support for Rana has this factor behind it. Still a long way to go for the World Cup but Rana is on track to be an automatic selection in the squad.
