Adelaide: After the Delhi bowler took four wickets in the third ODI against Australia on Saturday, India skipper Shubman Gill called Harshit Rana the perfect No. 8 bowling all-rounder for the squad.
India’s need for a dependable all-rounder at No. 8 has become more urgent since Nitish Kumar Reddy hurt his quadriceps. Gill said that the squad needs a player who can bowl well and get 20 to 25 important runs in the lower order, not just a batsman who can “roll his arm over,” like in the first two ODIs.
Gill said at the post-match press conference, “I think the No. 8 position for us is very important if a batsman can make 20–25 runs there, which we are sure Harshit can do.”
Rana, a strong fast bowler from Delhi, also did well with the bat, hitting 24 runs in the second ODI in Adelaide. Gill stressed how important tall, fast bowlers like Rana are, especially on South African fields, where the 2027 Cricket World Cup would be held.
“There aren’t many tall fast bowlers who can bowl 140-plus.” Gill said, “So if we look at South Africa, these kinds of bowlers become very important on these kinds of pitches.”
“Because we saw that the ball doesn’t travel much off the wicket during the middle overs. You can make opportunities if you are tall and fast. And that’s what occurred.
Gill said that the spinners put pressure on the other team early in the innings, which let Rana take advantage of it with his “effort balls” and get important wickets.
He stated, “Australia got off to a great start, but the way our spinners bowled first, put pressure on them, and then Harshit bowled powerfully, I think he got a good reward for that.”
Gill Not Worried About His Own Form
Gill stayed relaxed about his batting form even if he didn’t score a half-century in the ODI series.
“In the first game, I got out on the leg side. So, I’m not worrying too much about how I’m batting. It happens sometimes. He remarked, “You obviously want to play for the team in every game, but I’m not too worried about how well I do.”