Harshit Rana credits Gautam Gambhir for his success 'above everyone else'

Fast bowler Harshit Rana, who earned a maiden India call-up for the ODIs against Sri Lanka, has said he owes much of his success to Gautam Gambhir "above everyone else". Rana, 22, worked with the new India head coach Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this year and, like Gambhir, made his way up through Delhi cricket circles.

"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," Rana told PTI after the India squad was announced. "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 [Gambhir].

"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 had a bright 2022-23 first-class season with Delhi, picking up 21 wickets in five Ranji Trophy games, but then injuries prevented him from playing a lot of red-ball cricket. With the white ball, though, he has been fantastic for Delhi: 22 wickets in 14 Vijay Hazare Trophy games, and 28 in 25 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s.

At IPL 2024, in front of a packed Eden Gardens, he managed to nail his blockhole deliveries, wide yorkers and slow bouncers to finish as the tournament's joint-fourth-highest wicket-taker, playing his part in KKR's run to the title. How did he manage to back his skills under pressure?

"If you ask about the pressure part, it is Gautam Gambhir's advice," Rana said. "He would say, 'what's the worst thing that will happen? You will get hit and we can lose the match. But if you don't face your fears, how will you overcome them?'

"[I learnt] there will always be a new day, a new match and things will fall in place. That's what you train for."

Leading up to his IPL exploits, Rana had trained under Bhandari and Narinder Singh Negi at Delhi's Players' Academy. "If you talk about skill-set, then Bhandari sir and Negi sir have been my personal coaches for the past two years," Rana said.

Bhandari, a Delhi stalwart who played two ODIs for India between 2000 and 2004 and is now an assistant coach with Gujarat Titans, spoke to PTI about the time he spent with Rana. "I didn't know who this boy was," Bhandari said. "In fact, when he came to me, he had not played for KKR but had played Ranji Trophy. He only called me up and said, 'sir, can you train me?'

"First day he came, I didn't give him a new ball but an old ball and told him the areas [he needed to bowl] with an [added] instruction. Just bowl and don't look at me or come to me. If I feel [the need], I will call you."

What Bhandari saw impressed him enough to start working with Rana. "What I saw was a nice run-up but once he reached the crease, after load-up, everything needed a bit of work. The non-bowling hand, alignment... And he was ready to work."

Rana will hope it all pays off if he gets his first India cap in Sri Lanka. The tour - also a first assignment for Gambhir as India coach - begins with three T20Is from July 27, before the ODIs kick off on August 2.