CRICKET | Rohit, Virat have told me to focus on bowling the right length: Rana

Harshit Rana, uncapped pacer, rises swiftly through IPL success, white-ball squads, and potential Test tour of Australia.

Such has been Harshit Rana’s swift rise in recent months that the 22-year-old from Delhi is the only uncapped pacer in the five-member fast-bowling contingent for the Test tour of Australia beginning on November 22.

The ascent began in this year’s IPL when he starred for the title-winning Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), finishing as its joint-second-highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps in 13 matches.

Reward followed in subsequent months, with his name featured in India’s white-ball squads. The surest indication that he is likely to be included in the touring party for the Test series Down Under came when he was asked to be a travelling reserve for the ongoing series against New Zealand.

“I had a sense that I could be going to Australia because they had kept me with the (Test) team and were preparing me,” Rana, who took a five-for for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy on Sunday, told reporters. “It is a very big thing to be going to Australia. The competitiveness and attitude that I have on the field, I like playing the kind of cricket that Australia does.”

Reflecting on the time he has spent with the Indian team, though he is yet to play a game, he said: “The experience has not been related to cricket alone but about life overall and how a sportsperson builds his life. As a cricketer, I have grown a lot by being with the Indian team.”

Rana was also asked about the experience of bowling to senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the nets. “They treat net sessions just like how they treat a match. Their intensity is very high. Both Rohit and Virat have just told me to focus on the lengths I bowl. So that is what I focus on during net sessions.”