“ Delhi mein dil tooth sakta hai par humne kabhi hausla nahi haraa (Delhi can break your heart but I never lost hope).”
These were an emotional Harshit Rana’s first words after learning about his maiden call-up in the Indian ODI team comprising icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The 22-year-old speedster from Delhi’s South Extension, who did the tough grind since the junior levels, often got overlooked, but one stellar Indian Premier League (IPL) season of 19 wickets in Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumphant campaign brought him into the national reckoning.
ight Riders in action during IPL 2024. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU
“ Delhi mein dil tooth sakta hai par humne kabhi hausla nahi haraa (Delhi can break your heart but I never lost hope).”
These were an emotional Harshit Rana’s first words after learning about his maiden call-up in the Indian ODI team comprising icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The 22-year-old speedster from Delhi’s South Extension, who did the tough grind since the junior levels, often got overlooked, but one stellar Indian Premier League (IPL) season of 19 wickets in Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumphant campaign brought him into the national reckoning.
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“I believed in working hard but whenever I used to get hurt after being overlooked in age-group teams, I would sit in my room and start sobbing. My father Pradeep never ever gave up hope.
“If I have to name three people whom I am indebted to in this beautiful journey of mine, then it is my father, for his efforts, my personal coach Amit Bhandari sir (former India and Delhi pacer) and above everyone else, Gauti bhaiyya (Gautam Gambhir),” Rana told PTI on Thursday.
“If my outlook towards the game has changed, a lot of it has got to do with Gauti bhaiyya’s presence in the KKR dressing room and how he changed my mindset. At the elite level, you require skills but more than skills you require the heart to handle the pressure. Gauti bhaiyya would always tell me ‘Mere ko tere pe trust hai. Tu match jeetake aayega’. (I trust you, you can win the match),” Rana recalled.
He had started on a bright note in 2022, when he played seven Ranji Trophy games for Delhi and got 28 wickets but since then, injuries prevented him from playing a lot of red-ball games.
However, in white-ball cricket, he has been phenomenal for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with 22 wickets in 14 games and 28 scalps in 25 T20 matches.
