After winning the ODI series 2-1 against South Africa, Gambhir clearly stated that he was developing Harshit as a useful batsman at number 8 to add more depth to the Indian batting line-up. This is not a new idea. In today’s era, many teams expect their fast bowlers to bat lower down the order. Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch played this role for South Africa in this series. Players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Ben Stokes already turn matches with both the bat and the ball.
Gautam Gambhir’s plan for Harshit Rana
According to media reports, Gambhir has declared Harshit Rana as India’s “project player.” The coach said , “We are developing a player like Harshit so that he can score runs at number 8. In two years, when the World Cup will be held on the bouncy pitches of South Africa, we need three fast bowlers and depth in the batting.”
Although Harshit’s performance with the ball has been mediocre in this series, taking just 4 wickets in 3 matches. South African pitches have been batting-friendly and offer extra bounce to bowlers, the ambitious all-rounder will need to consistently contribute with the bat to ensure the team has complete confidence in him.
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Gambhir said, “If Harshit continues to develop as a bowling all-rounder, it will be a huge plus for us. With Jasprit Bumrah’s return, seeing Arshdeep, Prasidh and Harshit gives a lot of hope.” These three bowlers are new to ODI cricket, with no less than 15 ODIs to their credit, yet they performed well against a strong batting line-up like South Africa.
South Africa chased down 350+ targets in the first two matches of the series, but Prasidh Krishna restricted them to 280 in the third, a target easily achieved by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. Gambhir concluded, “If we can develop Harshit at No. 8 in a way that allows him to contribute with the bat as well, we will have the perfect balance. There’s still a long way to go, but the direction is clear.”