"Jab main speech de raha tha, main rone lag gaya tha" - Harshit Rana opens up on emotions ahead of debut in 1st BGT 2024-25 Test
Team India's debutant pacer Harshit Rana claimed that he had no pre-match flutters ahead of the ongoing Perth Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. However, he acknowledged that he got nervous when he was asked to make a speech to the team a day ahead of his Test debut and ended up crying.
Rana made an impressive start to his Test career, registering figures of 3-48 from 15.2 overs as India bowled out Australia on 104 in their first innings on Day 2 in Perth on Saturday, November 23. The fast bowler had knocked over Travis Head for 11 on the opening day of the contest and added the scalps of Nathan Lyon (5) and Mitchell Starc (26) on Day 2.
Speaking at the press conference after the end of the second day's play in Perth, Rana said that he was not nervous about playing his debut Test but for another reason. The 22-year-old elaborated:
“I couldn’t sleep until very late before my debut. But in the morning, I won’t say there were any (nervous) flutters. But the flutter was there a day before. Jab main speech de raha tha, main rone lag gaya tha (I had to make a speech and I started crying).”
Rana added that playing in Australia is a big thing for him and revisited memories of waking up early to watch matches on the television with his father.
“As a kid, I would get up early in the morning with my papa (dad) to watch cricket in Australia. Yeh mere liye bahut badi baat hai (to play here is a big thing for me)," the right-arm pacer admitted.
Before making his Test debut in Perth, the youngster was impressive in domestic matches back home. He registered figures of 5-80 & 2-61 in the Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Assam and also contributed with the bat, scoring 59.
"The plan for Travis Head was to keep it at the stumps" - Harshit Rana on key dismissal
Travis Head is one batter whose have given India plenty of sorrow over the last couple of years. He was the Player of the Match in the 2023 WTC final and ODI World Cup final the same year. Rana ensured the left-hander did not trouble India in the first innings in Perth, cleaning him up from around the wicket.
Asked about the plan for Head, the debutant explained:
“The plan for Travis Head was to keep it at the stumps. And when it moved away, it worked."
Head was the fourth wicket to fall in Australia's first innings with the score at 31. Meanwhile, in response to Australia's first innings total of 104, India were 172-0 at stumps in their second innings.