"Gauti bhaiyya would always tell me, Tu match jeetake aayega": Harshit Rana

Gautam Gambhir forced talented Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana to face his fears The speedster is currently on the ninth cloud after he was selected for the ODI series against Sri LankaTo announce his joy to the world he posted a picture on instagram in which he was seen lifting his equally jubilant father But when it came to giving credit to those who shaped him Rana was clear that Gauti Bhaiyya would always be above everyone elseDelhi mein dil toot sakta hai par humne kabhi hausla nahi haaraa Delhi can break your heart but I never lost hope Harshit Rana said after learning about his maiden India callupI believed in working hard but whenever I used to get hurt after being overlooked in agegroup teams I would sit in my room and start sobbing My father Pradeep never ever gave up hope he told PTI in an interviewThe bowler from Delhis South Extension who endured a tough time at the junior level often overlooked had finally made it And all it took for him to be in national reckoning was one stellar IPL season of 19 wickets in Kolkata Knight Riders triumphant campaign this yearAlso ReadAsia Cup 2024 IND W vs PAK W A new chapter in the rivalryIf I have to name three people whom I am indebted to in this beautiful journey of mine then it is my father for his efforts my personal coach Amit Bhandari sir former India and Delhi pacer and above everyone else Gauti bhaiyya Gautam Gambhir Harshit Rana saidGautam Gambhir was appointed as Team Indias head coach after Rahul Dravids tenure came to an end Rana said his senior statemate has been a pillar of support ever since he came in contact with himIf my outlook towards the game has changed a lot of it has got to do with Gauti bhaiyyas presence in the KKR dressing room and how he changed my mindset At the elite level you require skills but more than skills you require the heart to handle the pressureGauti bhaiyya would always tell me Mere ko tere pe trust hai Tu match jeetake aayega I trust you you can win the match Rana recalled one of his interactions with the firebrand former opener who is known to speak his mindHarshit Rana came into the limelight when he claimed 28 wickets while playing seven Ranji Trophy matches for Delhi in 2022 Later he was restricted from playing redball cricket due to injuriesHarshit Rana however continued to show his prowess in whiteball cricket Playing 14 Vijay Hazare matches for Delhi he bagged 22 wickets and 28 wickets in 25 T20 matchesPlaying at the Eden Gardens in front of 60000 people he nailed those blockhole deliveries wide yorkers and slow bouncers So how has he managed to back his skills under pressureIf you ask about the pressure part it is Gautam Gambhirs advice He would say whats the worst thing that will happen You will get hit and we can lose the match But if you dont face your fears how will you overcome themThere will always be a new day new match and things will fall in place Thats what you train for said the lanky player who trained under Bhandari and Narinder Singh Negi in Delhis Players AcademyIf you talk about my skillset then Bhandari sir and Negi sir have been my personal coaches for past two years he saidBhandari a Delhi stalwart who played a few ODIs for India between 2000 to 2004 narrated an interesting story I didnt know who this boy was In fact when he came to me he had not played for KKR but had played Ranji Trophy He only called me up and said sir can you train me Bhandari who is an assistant coach with Gujarat Titans recalledThe first day he came I didnt give him a new ball but an old ball and told him the areas he needed to bowl along with an instruction Just bowl and dont look at me or come to me If I feel I will call youAmit Bhandari was later impressed by what he saw and then decided to mentor the pacerWhat I saw was a nice runup but once he reached the crease after loadup everything needed a bit of work The nonbowling hand alignment and he was ready to work he saidFurther Amit Bhandari feels that Harshit Rana has the potential to do well at the international level In Delhi you always hear about corruption groupism nepotism Now look at the bonafide Delhi greats Most have within two years of their Delhi debut have played for India he pointed outViru Sehwag Gauti Gambhir Ishant Sharma and Rishabh Pant all had talent and didnt hover around domestic cricket for long If you are a talented Delhi cricketer system cant stop you And if you arent then even in 15 years you wont make it Bhandari saidWith PTI Inputs