Ranji Trophy: Harshit Rana celebrates Test call-up with all-round show
Rising star of domestic cricket, Harshit Rana has shown his all-round prowess in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Playing for Delhi against Assam at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Rana shined with bat and ball. The right-arm pacer took a five-wicket haul on Day 1 of the contest, returning with figures of 5/80 and helping Delhi bundle out Assam for 330 runs.
Rana shines with bat in Ranji Trophy
Following his bowling heroics, Rana displayed his batting prowess by scoring a vital 59 off 78 balls at number eight. This was his second half-century in First-Class cricket, with a strike rate of 75.64 and four boundaries and three sixes. His important lower-order contribution helped Delhi go past Assam's first innings total of 330 runs, further emphasizing his all-round prowess on the field.
Rana's performance coincides with maiden Test call-up
Rana's brilliant show in the Ranji Trophy comes on the back of his maiden call-up to the Indian Test squad. He has been picked in India's 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia. Although there were doubts initially owing to his lack of red-ball experience, Rana proved the naysayers wrong with his stellar show in the domestic tournament, proving he is ready for the big stage.
Here are his stats
With his latest spell, Rana has raced to 41 wickets across 10 First-Class games at 24-plus. This was his second fifer in the format as the tally also includes three four-wicket hauls. With the bat, he has hammered 469 runs with his average being over 40. As mentioned above, this was his second fifty as he also owns a hundred.
Rana among 3 uncapped players in India's Test squad
Overall, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has included three uncapped players in the Test squad: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Abhimanyu Easwaran. Rana and Reddy are already known for their exploits in white-ball cricket, especially T20s. The high-profile series against Australia is a big opportunity for these young talents to share the dressing room with star players and showcase their skills on an international platform.
