India opener Abhishek Sharma was full of praise for Harshit Rana after the young fast bowler’s surprise promotion paid off in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Despite India’s shaky start, Rana showed great composure under pressure, adding a crucial 56-run stand with Abhishek to help India recover past the 100-run mark.
Rana came to bat at No. 6 for Shivam Dube and played a mature knock of 35 runs, steadying the innings when India had lost early wickets. After the match, Abhishek revealed that Rana’s batting skills were no secret to him.
“I knew Harshit could bat, he often hits sixes from me in the nets,” Abhishek said with a smile. “He said to me: ‘let’s play a bit normal’, and that helped. The right-left combination worked very well and that’s why he was sent for Dube.”
Although Rana went wicketless in his two overs, his crucial contribution with the bat justified his selection on Arshdeep Singh. The 22-year-old showed impressive temperament for someone best known for his bowling.
Abhishek, meanwhile, continued his good form, hitting a brilliant 68 off 37 balls even as the Australian pacers, led by Josh Hazlewood, tore through India’s top order.
His innings, filled with sharp drives and fearless lofted shots, was one of the few positives for India in an otherwise tough match as the team were bowled out for 125.
Reflecting on his own approach, Abhishek said he always tries to put pressure on the bowlers.
“That’s my game. It can go both ways sometimes, but the captain and the coach have always supported me to play freely. That belief gives me a lot of confidence,” he said.
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