As India lost wickets in a heap, Harshit Rana walked out to bat ahead of Washington Sundar.
It was all going well till Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill were out in the middle, as India had a target of 301 in their 50 overs. However, after both Kohli and Gill fell, the tide shifted towards New Zealand. In the process, Harshit Rana walked out to bat ahead of Washington Sundar at No.7.
This move left a lot of fans and experts surprised, and there were questions asked about why Washington Sundar did not come out to bat where he should have. Harshit Rana is not a mug with the bat, but Sundar surely has more dimensions to his batting than Rana.
The fast bowler did a decent job with the bat in hand, stitching a crucial partnership with KL Rahul for the sixth wicket. Rana scored 29 off 23 deliveries before being dismissed. The 24-year-old has showcased that he could be handy with the bat.
However, Washington Sundar had reportedly injured his left knee while attempting to reach out for a catch off his own bowling, and hence was in some discomfort. This propelled the Indian management to promote Harshit Rana ahead of the Tamil Nadu all-rounder.
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The young speedster has been with the Indian white-ball setups for quite some time now, and it is safe to say that he has cemented his place in the Indian XI. Harshit Ranna was on the white-ball tour to Australia as well, and he performed well Down Under with frequent wickets.
In the first ODI against New Zealand as well, he bagged two wickets. But his economy was a bit on the higher side. The 24-year-old speedster has picked 20 wickets in 11 ODIs so far with a solitary four-wicket haul. That being said, he has also been handy at times with the bat.
One of his greatest strengths has been the ability to hit the hard lengths on a consistent basis. Harshit Rana can also nail the yorkers to perfection and has good variations in his arsenal. In addition to that, he has an effective bouncer.
With Washington Sundar not being too comfortable to bat, the right-handed speedster walked out and made things easier for KL Rahul towards the end of the innings. Rahul credited Harshit Rana for the way he played for his 29.
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