Rana recalls sleepless night before debut

It was difficult to wait for my debut, but words of Gauti bhai, parents helped: Harshit Rana

Harshit Rana was in a difficult mind-space before making his India debut at Perth against Australia, but survived that unsure phase after head coach Gautam Gambhir and his parents advised him to remain patient and be mentally prepared for the cherished moment.

Rana didn't disappoint Gambhir either as the young pacer grabbed three wickets, supporting skipper Jasprit Bumrah to bundle out Australia for 104 in their first innings.

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"It was difficult for me to wait (for my debut), but Gauti bhai was saying to keep my patience and do well whenever my chance comes. He always gives confidence. He was telling me to keep everything aside and think that you are representing the whole country," Rana said during his post-day press meet in Perth on Saturday.

"I keep talking to my dad and mom before and after every match. So, they were telling me to keep your patience and God will fulfil my dreams."

But once he was told about the debut a day ahead, Rana was a bit nervous.

"I used to get up early in the morning to watch cricket in Australia with my dad, so this is a big thing for me. I was told a day ahead that I was going to make my debut. I was not getting sleep after that and I slept very late that night," he chuckled.

However, all of that edginess vanished once he castled Aussie left-hander Travis Head with a peach of a delivery.

Rana said it was the result of his pre-tour hard work and sticking to the well-thought-out plans by the management.

"We were talking about setting up the (Aussie) batsmen to dismiss them, and our plan was to attack the stumps. I was able to hit the right length and got wicket (Head)."

"I have also worked with Morne Morkel to understand what line and length to bowl here. So, I was just sticking to that here.”

The 22-year-old was also grateful to Bumrah for taking three wickets upfront and making his debut that much easier.

"Jassi bhai took three wickets upfront and set it up nicely for me. It often happens, Jassi bhai builds a lot of pressure on batters and it becomes easy for bowlers from the other end."

"When Jassi bhai does that the whole atmosphere charges up. So, when I came to bowl, the Aussies were three down and I was thinking of taking a few more wickets as getting them out early will be beneficial to us," he shared.

He thanked veteran Virat Kohli for backing him on the field and did not find the transition from white ball to red ball any tough.

"It is really helpful to get tips from the seniors. Virat bhai keeps telling what to do while bowling — as in where to pitch and where not to pitch. So, you will get some confidence from their words,” he said.

"White ball or red ball, the length remains the same. It is just about the mindset, you need to change that."

While accepting that the Perth trampoline has eased out a bit compared to the first day, Rana said it was all about not getting carried away by the assistance from the pitch.

"We get extra bounce here if we are playing in the main wickets. But as bowlers, we can't get carried away, and you need to focus on the right line and length and it will be helpful here,” he added.

Mitchell Starc, his KKR teammate, and Rana had exchanged a few words after the former tackled a few snorters from the Indian pacer.

However, Rana played down the episode.

"He is a very good friend of mine as we play together in the IPL. I have a great bond with him. All this chatter will keep happening, just exchanging a few words," he said.