Champions Trophy: Will Harshit Rana's late addition benefit India?
What's the story
Young cricket sensation Harshit Rana made a sensational entry into India's Champions Trophy squad.
The right-arm pacer came in as one of the two late replacements in the team, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy being the other.
Rana, who was uncapped in international cricket three months back, has now debuted in all three formats.
He is now determined to prove his mettle in the mega event.
Comeback
Rana's impressive comeback on debut
Rana made his ODI debut during the recent ODI series aginst England.
Although he was expensive in his first spell on debut, Rana showed resilience and skill.
Rana was more accurate in his second spell. He got his first ODI wicket by sending Ben Duckett back with a delivery that took an unexpected bounce off the bat's shoulder.
Key batters Hary Brook and Liam Livingstone also fell to him as England were bowled out for 248 in Nagpur. .
Selection
Rana's selection raises questions
Rana has been picked as the third specialist seamer in India's CT squad after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out due to injury.
This decision, taken by selectors in consultation with head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma, raised eyebrows.
How did Rana, who had played only 15 List A matches during the time of the announcement, leapfrog seasoned campaigners like Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna?
Explanation
Rohit Sharma explains Rana's selection
Rohit had clarified at a media briefing in January that Siraj's exclusion was unfortunate but necessary considering the team's specific needs.
He said, "We discussed it at length about it and we are only taking three seamers there because we wanted all the all-rounders with us."
About Rana, Rohit admitted his selection was based on promise and potential, saying "We needed something different. He's [Rana] shown the potential that he's got something about him, so you back those things."
Recognition
Rana's potential recognized by selection panel
The Ajit-Agarkar-led selection panel has been impressed by Rana since the Duleep Trophy.
Here, he bowled probing spells with the new ball and took four-wicket hauls in both his matches for India D.
This performance was enough for the selectors to include him in the India squad for the Australia tour, where he made an impressive Test debut in India's victory in Perth.
Record
Do you Know?
Rana became the first Indian cricketer to pick up a minimum of three wickets in each of his Test, T20I and ODI debuts.
Meanwhile, he finished the recent England ODI series with six wickets across three games at a higher economy of 6.95.
Overall, he boasts 28 scalps across 17 List A games at an economy of 5.80.
Skills
Rana's skills and potential in all three formats
At 22, Rana is still polishing his craft but has demonstrated the potential to turn matches in short bursts across all three formats.
His ability to seam the ball at pace both ways with a hard new ball, and employ a deceptive slower ball across phases, has been especially impressive.
These skills were on full display during the ODI series against England where he constantly tested their batters.