Harshit Rana made his debut against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024/25.
Former Australian coach Justin Langer once mentioned that if a player is picked to play in the XI out of a country of a 1.46 billion, he’s got to be pretty good. India’s cricketing ecosystem breeds a lot of competition. We can often witness exciting talent coming up from the countries whose cricketing ecosystem is robust and full of competition. But sometimes, just breaking the barrier and making it to the top doesn’t suffice for a player. Young Harshit Rana found himself in a similar spot in the recent ENG vs IND Test series.
AUSA-W
137/6
INDA-W
124/5
KNK
–
AMR
–
PD
186/6
WDL
171/8
Purani Delhi 6 won by 15 runs
CDK
82/1
SDS
80/10
Central Delhi Kings beat South Delhi Superstarz by 9 wickets
EDR
–
ODW
–
NDT
–
PD
–
CRO
155/6
CYP
213/3
Cyprus beat Croatia by 58 runs
CRO
132/10
CYP
136/3
Cyprus won by 7 wickets
CRO
–
CYP
–
CRO
–
CYP
–
ESM
123/0
LCC
122/7
East Molesey beat London County Cricket by 10 wickets
KSP
106/9
SPE
136/3
Spencer beat Kreative Sports XI by 30 runs
BAN
137/9
CPP
82/10
Banstead beat CFS Pinnacle Pro by 55 runs
WIM
187/5
WEY
115/3
Wimbledon beat Weybridge by 72 runs
TBC
–
SPE
–
TBC
–
ESM
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
TBC
–
SUSS
288/7
KENT
287/9
Sussex beat Kent by 3 wickets
GLAM
–
DER
–
Match abandoned due to rain
NOT
326/9
WOR
312/7
HAM
288/5
ESS
285/10
Hampshire beat Essex by 5 wickets
NOR
–
YOR
–
SURR
–
GLO
–
SOM
–
DURH
–
SWE
–
FRA
–
MATCH CANCELLED
91YC
165/7
NVR
149/10
91 Yards Club beat Navarang Club by 16 runs
NAJC
99/7
GTC
156/7
Gauhati Town Club beat Nabajyoti Club by 14 runs (D/L) method
GTC
–
91YC
–
NVR
–
BCC
–
BCC
48/10
GUJCC
107/4
Gujrat Cricket Club beat Bihar CC by 59 runs
KRMPS
120/4
KZK
121/3
Khan Zalmi Kings beat ACE KRM Panthers by 7 wickets
KRMPS
–
CEC-A
–
SEL
–
PRK
–
JOR
–
PENG
–
MEL
–
KLPR
–
BBW
–
HTW
–
Match Abandoned due to rain
MWW
98/2
MDW
97/5
Mysore Warriors Women beat Mangalore Dragons Women by 8 wickets
BBW
–
MWW
–
MDW
–
SHLW
–
EAE
–
PMW
–
PAJ
–
NPB
–
ZIM
125/10
NZ
174/1
IRE-W
–
PAK-W
–
WI
–
PAK
–
SLBL
143/10
SLGR
144/6
SLC Greens beat SLC Blues by 4 wickets
SLGY
–
SLBL
–
NOS
147/2
WEF
143/9
Northern Superchargers won by 8 wkts
BIP
–
TRR
–
NOS-W
141/4
WFW-W
94/10
Northern Superchargers Women won by 47 runs
BIP-W
–
TRW-W
–
AUST
92/6
NOR
87/10
Austria beat Norway by 4 wickets
SWE
162/7
FRA
128/8
Sweden beat France by 34 runs
FRA
–
NOR
–
SWE
–
AUST
–
Harshit Rana was picked in the squad for the first Test match of the series in Leeds. He did not make the XI and warmed the bench at Headingley. However, the speedster was cleared of his duties from the squad ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston. In a recent interview, Rana opened up about the mental struggles that a player has to go through after he is dropped from the side.
In a recent podcast, the pacer spoke about the challenges of playing a long tour for any player. The recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy commenced on June 20, and the last day of the series was scheduled on August 4. Amid the 45 days of exhilarating drama, Rana mentioned how it takes a toll on a player’s body, physically as well as mentally. But being dropped is a different feeling to deal with.
“The series is long and tours last for two to three months. Suppose you are playing the first Test match and you don’t perform well, you get dropped and have to sit out for the next four matches. At that point, it can really get mentally tough”, said Rana on the podcast.
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The young Indian speedster has just two Test matches to show in his arsenal. But he has shown a lot of promise in the two Tests which he played in Australia. Harshit made his debut against the Aussies down under and has picked four wickets in two Test matches. He spoke about the dressing room environment during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 Down Under and also said that all players are very supportive.
When one represents the nation, there is seldom room to dwell on negative thoughts. Though being motivated is a given, the fast bowler spoke about how one needs to keep practicing even when things are not going their way. He also went on to say that the love for the game is what keeps the player going. He concluded by saying that, at the end of the day, you realise that you are playing for your country. When that realization kicks in, one feels grateful for the opportunities he is presented with. The game has a huge aspect which is played in the mind of a player before he goes on to represent his country on the field.
“You might feel low, but cricket is in your heart. You cannot stay away from it. Even when things are not going your way, you still find yourself on the ground. That is where you find happiness. The idea is always to keep working hard”, concluded Harshit Rana.
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Australia A Women beat India A Women by 13 runs