Team India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, showed a significant display of ‘tough love’ towards young pacer Harshit Rana after his stellar performance in the third One Day International at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Harshit Rana was instrumental in India’s victory, delivering an outstanding spell where he claimed four wickets for just 39 runs, crucial in restricting Australia to 236 runs after they had a strong start to their innings.
Gambhir publicly acknowledged Rana’s contribution, stating, “Special mention to Harshit, that was an outstanding spell.” However, he quickly followed it with a poignant piece of advice: “What I want to say is stay humble, stay grounded, keep working hard. It’s just the start, it’s not the end.”
Rana’s tour had not begun smoothly, with less impressive outings in Perth and Adelaide. His selection for the Sydney ODI, particularly over left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, placed him firmly in the spotlight, and the pressure was palpable.
According to Rana’s childhood coach, Shravan Kumar, it was a direct and stern warning from Head Coach Gautam Gambhir that truly motivated the young bowler. The message was unequivocal: “Perform kar, warna bahar bitha dunga” (Perform, or I will make you sit out of the team).
Shravan Kumar also addressed previous criticisms, including allegations from Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who suggested Rana was selected for being Gambhir’s ‘yes man’. Shravan expressed concern about scrutinizing young players early in their careers, especially through platforms like YouTube channels, instead advocating for constructive guidance.
“He called me and told me that he wanted to shut the outside noise with his performance. I just said, believe in yourself. I know some cricketers say he is close to Gambhir. But Gambhir knows how to identify talent, and he backs them. He has backed a lot of cricketers, and they have done wonders for their teams. He, in fact, scolded Harshit badly. He told him directly, ‘Perform kar, warna bahar bitha dunga.’ He sends a clear message — whoever you are,” Shravan revealed, emphasizing Gambhir’s commitment to backing genuine talent. “Rana is 23. Let’s give him some time,” Shravan added, calling for patience with the emerging talent.
Gambhir also highlighted the team’s collective determination to rebound after losing the first two ODIs. “We spoke about turning up today, wanting to do something special, and we wanted to be desperate, we wanted to be hungry. We wanted to put our bodies on the line. I thought we did everything; we ticked all the boxes,” Gambhir stated.
He further praised the bowling unit’s effort, especially given Australia’s initial momentum. “Especially to start with, I thought the bowlers were outstanding. The kind of start Australia had — 63 for no loss after 10 overs — and from there to restricting them to 237 was an outstanding effort,” he concluded.