“If You Bowl 150 Kph, No One Will…”: Harshit Rana Challenged By Father​on December 10, 2024 at 12:00 pm

Right-arm pacer Harshit Rana‘s father Pradeep Rana has set a stiff challenge for the player. He has been given a target to click 150 kmph. Notably, 22-year-old Rana, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders shone in IPL 2024 by picking 19 wickets in 13 matches before getting an opportunity to play for India. Harshit Rana made waves in his Test debut for India in Perth against a deadly Australian batting line-up. After India bundled out on 150, Harshit teamed with Mohammed Siraj to offer the ideal backup to pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. In the first innings, Harshit delivered by returning with figures of 3 for 48 in a 15.2-over spell.

The good start, however, didn’t last long. In his second spell, Harshit started to fade away as the Perth Test strip turned placid while still offering bounce. He leaked runs throughout the innings and managed to bag the sole scalp of Alex Carey, which turned out to be the final wicket of the opening Test.

Harshit also leaked runs in the second game, conceding 86 without taking any wicket.

Harshit’s father has chellenged the pacer to clock 150 kmph to be considered a player by him.

“I have challenged him to bowl 150 kph. I have told him I will consider you a player the day you touch 150 kph,” Pradeep, who is a former hammer thrower and weightlifter for CRPF, told The Indian Express.

“If you bowl 150 kph, no one will stop you from playing for India but if you will bowl 125 kph, even a local club will not select you,” he added.

Young Harshit was clobbered for 86 in just 16 overs but the skipper Rohit Sharma was against making a two-Test youngster the fall guy for a comprehensive defeat in Adelaide.

“Rana didn’t do anything wrong in the first Test. He did very well. He gave the team crucial breakthroughs when they were needed. I believe that if someone hasn’t done anything wrong, he cannot be left out without a reason because then what confidence does the team get?

“It happens, sometimes the team doesn’t get what it wants. He came up against a good batsman who put pressure on him. But he has a heart and a passion so we should back such (qualities in a player),” Rohit said.

“The player might think that you give me one match but leave me out in the next. This is not good for any player or any team, that’s what I think. We should assess what the situation is and how helpful the conditions are,” he elaborated.

While he doesn’t want to judge Rana on the basis of one game but if change is warranted it would be done for benefit of the team.

“But judging someone after one match is not the right thing. We always keep (all) options open for any player to play since we have to win a Test match. If we must make such changes to win a Test, we will do that.” Rohit doesn’t want to read too much into Siraj-Head incident.

(With agency inputs)

​Right-arm pacer Harshit Rana’s father Pradeep Rana has set a stiff challenge for the player.