[Watch] Harshit Rana celebrates birthday on a yacht with teammates ahead of BGT 2024-25 4th Test
Team India's right-arm pacer Harshit Rana turned 23 on Sunday, December 22. The talented youngster celebrated his birthday with his Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25) teammates on a yacht in Melbourne.
Taking to his official Instagram account, Rana shared a video to give fans a glimpse of his birthday celebration. In the clip, the bowler can be seen enjoying alongside all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar.
Rana also made his famous flying kiss gesture in the video. He captioned the post:
"A year older, a year bolder! Let the celebrations begin! 🎉🥳."
On the cricketing front, Harshit Rana made his international debut in the BGT 2024-25 Test series opener against Australia in Perth. The dangerous Travis Head was the pacer's first victim in international cricket.
Rana knocked over Head in Australia's first innings of the contest. In the same essay, he also claimed the wickets of Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. He dismissed Alex Carey in the final innings as India kicked off the five-match series with a comprehensive 295-run victory.
The Delhi-based fast bowler remained wicketless in the subsequent pink ball Test in Adelaide where Australia won by 10 wickets. Rana made way for Akash Deep in the recently concluded Brisbane Test, which ended in a draw.
"If you will bowl 125 kph, even a local club will not select you" - Harshit Rana's father challenges him to bowl at 150 kph
Harshit Rana has made rapid strides in competitive cricket. The bowler became a household name following the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph earlier this year.
Rana bagged 19 wickets across 13 games in IPL 2024 and earned his maiden India call-up as he was picked for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in July.
The player's father, Pradeep Rana, has challenged him to bowl at 150 kph to succeed at the highest level. Pradeep said (via The Indian Express):
"I have challenged him to bowl 150 kph. I have told him I will consider you a player the day you touch 150 kph. If you bowl 150 kph, no one will stop you from playing for India, but if you will bowl 125 kph, even a local club will not select you."
The fourth Test of BGT 2024-25 will be played in Melbourne from December 26 onwards. After three matches, the series is tied at 1-1.