Harshit Rana has been called up for India’s third Test against New Zealand and is likely to make his debut at Wankhede, according to reports.
The Delhi pacer was with the squad as a travelling reserve at the start of the series in Bengaluru and Pune before he was released to play in the Ranji Trophy game against Assam. He scored a fifty and claimed a five-wicket haul in Delhi’s 10-wicket win over Assam. He was also picked in the squad for the India tour of Australia that is set to commence in November.
“The team management wanted me to play domestic cricket before going to Australia. I am happy that I performed well with both bat and ball in this match,” said Rana after his heroics against Assam.
Delhi coach and former national selector Sarandeep Singh is excited to see the pacer in Indian colours. “If India want him to play, I would love to see. If he ends up playing a Test before going to Australia, then it is better for Harshit and for India too that they get a good fast bowler,” Sarandeep told the Indian Express.
“I told Rana that he is on the verge of an opportunity for India and that he should take a fifer here. He got pumped up and delivered here. This is just how a coach talks. He is ready to play right now,” the Delhi coach added.
Rana boasts an impressive first-class record, taking 43 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 24 and a strike rate of 36.0 with best match figures of 10-108. He is also a very capable batter and has scored 469 runs in 14 innings at an average of 42.63 with a best of 122*.
The third Test match is set to begin on Friday (November 1) in Wankhede, Mumbai. Although it is a dead rubber with New Zealand taking an unassailable 2-0 lead, there is still a lot at stake for India as they look to maintain their top-2 spot on the World Test Championship 2023-25 table, and also avoid a whitewash on home soil.
