There were two reasons why Harshit Rana was first known in the cricket world. First, he received praise for his efforts when the Kolkata Knight Riders won their opening Indian Premier League 2024 game against Sunrisers Hyderabad by bowling a game-winning over. Even against Mitchell Starc, he defended the 13 runs while players like Heinrich Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed were smashing the ball out of the park with abandon. KKR prevailed in the thrilling game by a mere four runs as a consequence.
The second factor that made headlines the next day was his actions on the ground. Fast bowlers naturally get heated when they are focused on their practice, but Rana went too far. As soon as Rana removed Mayank Agarwal, the first wicket for SRH, he strode over to give him a farewell blowout kiss. The renowned Sunil Gavaskar condemned the gesture and spoke out against the incident. He was fined sixty percent of his match payment.
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“That was a bad thing for Rana to do. When the batsman was hitting him for sixes, did you do anything to him? Without these pranks, cricket can be played. The television era is upon us. That makes sense to me. “Celebrate with your team, but don’t bother with such antics against the opposition,” Gavaskar stated live on Star Sports.
Rana initially played for the Gujarat Titans as a net bowler.
The right-arm pacer’s first chance with KKR came in 2022, when Abhishek Nayar was putting the finishing touches on trials after former captain Nitish Rana suggested his name. Because Rasikh Salam had hurt his back, Nitish had called him Harshit.
As KKR looked for a replacement, Nitish chose Harshit Rana, who had previously been a net bowler for the Gujarat Titans in 2022.
Originally from Delhi, he has participated in seven first-class matches and taken 28 wickets, with a best of 7 for 45. He has participated in 14 matches and claimed 22 wickets, with his best effort coming in at four for 17 runs. His List A performance remains intact. In his professional career thus far, the 22-year-old has also played for North Zone and Delhi’s under-19 team.
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