India fast bowler Harshit Rana has revealed that the team management is grooming him as a genuine all-rounder in the ODI setup, following his impactful performance against New Zealand. The 23-year-old explained that he has been asked to focus on contributing with the bat and adding crucial runs down the order when needed.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Rana said, “The team management wants to groom me as an all-rounder, and my job is to keep working on that. In the nets, I focus on batting, and the confidence from my teammates really helped me score runs during the match.”
Rana was promoted to number seven ahead of Washington Sundar, who was carrying a minor niggle. He justified the call emphatically, taking two key wickets—dismissals of Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls—and scoring a brisk 29 off 23 balls, including two boundaries and a six, stabilising India’s innings alongside KL Rahul.
Rana’s batting prowess has previously earned the backing of head coach Gautam Gambhir, notably in the second T20I against Australia, where he scored 35 off 33 balls at number seven and shared a half-century stand with Abhishek Sharma.
With growing confidence in both batting and bowling, Rana appears set to evolve into a reliable lower-order all-rounder, aligning with India’s plans to strengthen their ODI lineup.
