Days after playing with the ball in the Ranchi ODI, young pacer Harshit Rana has finally spoken out about the scrutiny and persistent trolling that overshadowed his rise in international cricket. The 23-year-old said he has learned to detach himself from the noise on social media, insisting he “doesn’t care” about what is being said online, preferring to channel all his energy into his cricket.
The 23-year-old fast bowler has been in the limelight since his debut last year critics question his selection across formats and claims to be benefiting from the support of head coach Gautam Gambhir. However, Rana made it clear that he was deliberately shutting out all outside noise.
“If I start listening to all these things, put them in my mind and go on the field, I won’t be able to play cricket,” Rana said before India’s training session at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium.
“I try to avoid it as much as possible. I just focus on what I have to do on the ground. I don’t care what happens outside or what people say about me. I just focus on my hard work and what I’m going to do on the ground.”
Rana’s rise up the rankings has coincided with Gambhir’s tenure, under whom he made his debut across formats, starting with the Perth Test during last year’s tour of Australia. While his performances have been steady rather than spectacular, the youngster has enjoyed firm support from the head coach.
The buzz surrounding his selection intensified recently when former national coach Kris Srikkanth claimed that Rana was in the squad because he was a “yes man” for Gambhir – a remark that drew a sharp defense from the former India opener after the West Indies Test series. Rana tried to make his bowling react to him.
In the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi, he claimed 3 for 65including the wickets of Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock in the same match, helped India secure a narrow 17-run victory and a 1–0 series lead.
Rana said he is working closely with Morne Morkel and Arshdeep Singh to hone his new ball skills.
“With the new ball, I have been training a lot with Morne (Morkel) and still talking to Arshdeep a lot. I feel Arshdeep has a lot of experience and is always helping me and guiding me during practice,” he said.
He also highlighted the tactical value of the one ball rule after the 34th over.
“You know the bowlers don’t help that much in today’s cricket, so this rule is very helpful for us. It’s always on the mind to see which ball is getting old and everyone is involved in its selection,” he explained.
Asked if he would adjust his plans for the second ODI in Raipur, given the bigger ground dimensions, Rana said he saw no reason to move away from what was already working.
“I will not change my plan because I did well in the first match. So I will focus on that plan. I will try to do the things again that I did well in the first match,” he said.
The young speedster also credited senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their influence on his development. “It’s a big thing for me and obviously it’s a big thing for the whole team because if you have such experienced players staying with you on the field and in the dressing room, then the environment in the team is very good. If you’re in the dressing room, it’s a happy environment for the whole team,” Rana said.
India will unveil their T20 World Cup jersey during the mid-innings break in Raipur as they look to seal the series after Kohli and Kuldeep Yadav guided them to victory in the series opener.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
December 2, 2025
