"It was my father's dream that I play a Test against England sometime at Lord's, but I personally like Australia more" - Harshit Rana
Delhi pacer Harshit Rana said his father's wish is for him to play against England at Lord's. Still, he prefers competing against Australia more because he feels his attitude is similar to that of the Aussie players.
The 22-year-old has earned his maiden Test call-up to the Indian side for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, starting November 22. After impressing in the 2024 IPL for the title-winning Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rana has been with the Indian limited-overs team but has not got a game yet.
Following his five-wicket haul in the ongoing Ranji Trophy clash against Assam, he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo:
"Only when the team was announced did I know I was going to Australia. But I had indications that I might be selected for the Australia tour because they had me with the team to prepare. Being selected for Australia tour is a big deal for me. The kind of competitive attitude I like to play cricket with on the field is very similar to Australia's. It was my father's dream that I play a Test against England sometime at Lord's, but I personally like Australia more.
"I have been with the Indian team continuously since the IPL and I have learnt a lot of things there. This lesson is not only about cricket, but also about life, how a sportsperson advances his career and life. Even as a cricketer, I have grown a lot by being with the Indian team."
With his ability to be deceptively quick and generate steep bounce, Rana could be a handful on the Australian wickets. Before the ongoing Ranji Trophy, the right-arm pacer picked up four-wicket hauls in back-to-back outings for India A in the 2024 Duleep Trophy.
"They also bat with the same intent in the nets like they do in a match" - Harshit Rana on bowling to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Harshit Rana boasts an outstanding first-class record with 36 wickets at an average of under 25 in nine outings. The 22-year-old highlighted the benefits of bowling to stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma while being part of the Indian camp.
"I love bowling to both of them in the nets because they also bat with the same intent in the nets like they do in a match. So there is no scope for you to make a mistake or bowl ordinary to them. I also spoke to Virat [Kohli] bhaiya and Rohit [Sharma] bhaiya, so they just told me to focus on my length and I am trying the same thing here," said Rana.
He also spoke about receiving valuable suggestions from seniors Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for the Australian tour.
"Recently when I was with the Indian team, I used to keep talking to Jassi [Jasprit Bumrah] and [Mohammed] Siraj bhaiya that if someday I get a chance to play there [in Australia], what should I do and what should I not do, which length will be right there and which is not. I have got an idea of all these things from both the bowlers and talking to them has helped me a lot," said Rana.
Team India won the previous two bilateral Test series in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21 by 2-1 margins. They have also defeated the Aussies in their previous four Test series overall, with the latest being the 2-1 win at home last year.