Harshit Rana becomes first Indian cricketer to create unique record on debut – India TV

Irrespective of the format, young India pacer Harshit Rana’s inclusion in the playing XI has always been a talking point. When he was picked in the playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth, the team management was criticised, noting that he didn’t have enough experience to feature. Eventually, the Delhi-born managed to bag a three-wicket haul as the visitors scripted a famous 295-run win.

He made his T20I debut against England in Pune and in that match, Rana clinched three crucial wickets of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton to turn the tide in India’s favour. However, he was a concussion sub of Shivam Dube in the match and since it wasn’t exactly a ‘like-for-like’ replacement, his inclusion gave birth to another controversy.

The trend continued in ODIs. Rana’s inclusion in the playing XI for the first ODI against England soon turned into a controversy as he was picked ahead of Arshdeep Singh, who’s a part of India’s squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy. The team management was once again slammed, especially after Rana leaked 26 runs in an over but the 23-year-old once again proved his worth, picking up three wickets of Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and Livingstone in Nagpur.

With that, Rana became the first Indian cricketer to achieve this rare feat of clinching three-wicket hauls on his debut in each format. He is currently in the scheme of things for the upcoming Champions Trophy but that heavily depends on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness. In case the ace pacer misses out owing to a back injury, Harshit is expected to replace him in the 15-member squad.

Varun Chakravarthy is another cricketer that the team management is keeping a close eye on. Captain Rohit Sharma hinted that he’s in the race but no decision has been made.