Young fast bowler Harshit Rana’s poor bowling in the second ODI between India and Australia attracted widespread attention. India lost the match in Adelaide on October 24th, raising questions about Harshit’s bowling.
Former Indian cricketers Kris Srikkanth and Mohammad Kaif made sharp comments about Harshit’s bowling.
Srikkanth even jokingly said that if India had won, Harshit could have been named “Player of the Match.”
Srikkanth’s taunt on Harshit’s bowling
Harshit took 2 wickets for 59 runs in 8 overs in the match. He had a good start, dismissing big names like Travis Head and Matthew Short.
Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, “He bowled very well in his first spell and picked up two good wickets. I thought India had won the match.
In fact, when he picked up the second wicket, I thought he had a good chance to be the Player of the Match with a crucial 24 and two wickets. But exactly then, he bowled short ball after short ball and got smashed.”
But in the second spell, Harshit bowled a series of short balls, which the Australian batsmen took advantage of.
Srikkanth further said, “Bowling short at that pace is of no use. Australians love short-pitched bowling, and we repeatedly fed them.”
Kaif also criticized
Former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif also questioned Harshit’s bowling. He said that Harshit doesn’t have any special “strength deliveries” like Jasprit Bumrah’s yorker or Mohammed Siraj’s pace.
Kaif said on his YouTube channel, “I’m following Harshit Rana a lot, but he doesn’t have a strong delivery. It’s not like he has a solid outswinger or an inswinger.
When we speak about Siraj or Bumrah, they have their strengths, like their yorkers, pace, or slower ones. But I can’t figure out what Harshit Rana’s strength is.”
Kaif also said that Harshit can make an impact with his pace variations in high-scoring matches, but he needs more skills to deceive batsmen in low-run games.
He also expressed his displeasure over not playing Kuldeep Yadav, who has a good record in Sydney.
Harshit also scored 24 runs in 18 balls and shared a 37-run partnership with Arshdeep Singh. But his second spell of bowling proved costly for India.
Australia, chasing 265, took an unassailable 2-0 lead. Now the third ODI will be held in Sydney on October 25, where India will have to fight hard to avoid defeat.
