When India and Australia played their second Twenty20 International, young speedster Harshit Rana batted at number seven. He was dismissed before Shivam Dube, a batting all-rounder, who came out to bat at number eight. Following India’s four-wicket defeat on Friday, October 31 at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground, Shubman Gill gave an explanation of the reasoning for the decision.
In the eighth over, with just 49 runs scored, India lost their fifth wicket. One end of Abhishek Sharma’s fire was going full blast. The Punjab batsman was joined in the middle by Harshit Rana, who contributed a 56-run partnership off 47 balls. With three fours and a six, the 23-year-old scored 35 off 33 balls. Dube was out of the game after just two deliveries in the 16th over, while Xavier Bartlett took two wickets in three balls.
In the end, India was dismissed for 125 runs in 18.4 overs. With 68 runs off 37 balls, Abhishek was the highest scorer, hitting two sixes and eight fours.
Harshit Rana got an undefeated 24 off 18 balls while batting at number nine in the second ODI.
Gill, the ODI captain, discussed his thoughts on Harshit’s batting skills following the match. “With the No.8 position, if a batsman can make 20-25 runs there – which we have confidence Harshit Rana can do – then it becomes a very important position,” Gill said.
Harshit Rana hit 28 sixes in 14 innings in the red-ball format and has a first-class century. Only 11 times in 42 T20s, and only once above No. 9, had the young player batted prior to the second T20I.
The more seasoned batsman Dube may have been protected by India in order to save him for the latter part of the innings, when his big-hitting skills could assist the tourists score some rapid runs. On the spicy pitch in Melbourne against the raging Australian pacers, the southpaw, who isn’t known for having a strong defensive technique, might have fallen short. One of the shots Dube faced in the innings went for a boundary through third man, and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis took it brilliantly by diving to his left. Dube edged both deliveries.
Although Harshit Rana stitched a vital partnership with Abhishek and played a crucial knock, he did not provide the opening with the strike as much as he would have liked. Abhishek faced just 14 of the 47 balls that the partnership lasted.
With skipper Mitchell Marsh leading the way with a 26-ball 46, Australia sped to the target in just 13.2 overs despite losing six wickets during the run-chase.
India
